The Limit of Dawn
by Viealle
Summary: Ten years. Ten agonizing years since the last time she saw those insightful, green eyes that seemed to bore through to her very soul. She was finally home...and she would do everything in her power to make sure that she was there to stay.
1. Even Now

**(A/N): Hello everyone! This is my third fanfiction and it is my first story that I have written that is of a different manga/anime other than "Fruits Basket." I hope you like it! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own "Spirited Away."**

Chapter 1: Even Now

It had been nearly four months since Chihiro had come home…or, more specifically, what her parents deemed as her "home." Chihiro looked out of her father's blue sedan wistfully. Every time she came back to this place, a warm sensation would come from her sparkling purple band. It was the only proof with her that reminded the young woman that she was in fact, not crazy.

Since ten years ago, much of what she experienced would fade into the recess of her mind until the familiar warm temperature would snap the fading memories back into her mind. It seemed to Chihiro that without the band her friends had given her, she would have forgotten as soon as she stepped foot back into the human world.

It was at that point that her father drove past the beaten pathway that lead to the spirit world entrance. She stared after it longingly. _'Why does it matter anyway? It's closed.' _Chihiro thought with a small choke. It was true. Until she left for college in Tokyo, she would visit the old train station every day to see if she would be let through. Even though she was able to walk through the train station, as soon as she entered the outside, the only thing she could see was grass for miles. The river did not exist. The spirit town did not exist. The bathhouse did not exist…Haku did not exist.

"Chihiro, honey, we're home." Her mother, Yuko, stated softly. Chihiro's honey eyes snapped from the window and she gave her mother a bashful smile.

The young woman jumped out of the car and pulled her bags out of the trunk with the help of her parents. As they carried the bags to the blue house, her parents started asking questions about her schooling.

"So Chihiro, how is Nursing school at the best university in Japan?" Her father, Akio, asked proudly. He loved asking his only daughter of her accomplishments. Ever since they moved to this new place, Chihiro immediately poured everything she had into her schooling. It was the only thing she had to keep her mind off of the world that she missed so, so much. She maintained valedictorian status throughout high school and even made it into one of Japan's most prestigious universities.

With a small smile, Chihiro answered her father. "It's great dad…Just a ton of work and clinicals." As she spoke, she dropped her book bag full of humongous medical books.

Her mother gave her a knowing smile. While Chihiro's father loved their daughter very much, he did not actually _understand _their daughter. Yuko was sure she did not either. Chihiro had grown into a lovely, compassionate young woman. Despite many of her great attributes, Yuko noticed something her husband failed to acknowledge. Chihiro was painfully lonely. She always seemed to be staring off into space, as if remembering a time and place that she would rather be.

"Chihiro, what do you want for dinner?" Her mother asked kindly. Chihiro was doing exactly what she always did. She was staring through the window and into the blue sky.

Chihiro hummed before answering. "Octopus weenies would be great, mom." Chihiro said with a huge smile. They were here favorite, albeit childish. Yuko nodded happily and set to the kitchen.

"Mom, Dad, I'm going for a walk to see if anything's changed!" Chihiro yelled over her shoulder. She slipped on her shoes and exited the house.

On her way down the hill to the unpaved road that lead to the train station, her parents stared out the window after her.

"She always goes down there when she comes home. It's the first thing she does! She goes down there so often that she's worn a path into the grass!" Akio exclaimed with a slightly sad lilt to his deep voice. Instead of conversing with them, his daughter always wanted to go check out the old, creepy place down the hill.

Yuko was cutting the hotdogs and she smiled to her husband. "Just let her be, Akio. She's never gone long anyways." Yuko cooed to her fuming husband. Both sets of eyes returned to watching their daughter walk down the hill.

Chihiro wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. It was extremely hot, especially with the sun beating down on her unceremoniously. But, as soon as she entered the forest, the heavy canopy of trees blocked the hot sun from Chihiro. She immediately gave a happy sigh, relishing in the cooler temperature as she walked the path.

As the woman walked by, she carefully examined all of the tiny spirit houses that took residence on the side of the path. Eventually, she made it to the entrance of the train station. She missed this place, despite the fact that it never allowed her through after she came back from the spirit world. It served as a reminder that what she experienced was real…and that maybe one day, she would be allowed back to go to her rightful home.

The tunnel was damp and cold like it was every time she came to the train station. Even now, the purple band on her wrist continued to warm on her wrist. As she traversed through the abandoned train station, nervousness grew in her stomach. It happened every time she came here. She always hoped that maybe, just maybe, she could slip through and rejoin her friends on the other side. Up until now, she was disappointed every time.

This time was no different. As the sun once again beat down on her, she stared ruefully out at the never ending sea of tall, green grass. It was like every other time. The passageway was not open.

Chihiro sunk to her knees as she continued to stare at the grass that swayed in the breeze. "You promised." Chihiro choked out quietly.

Her closest friend promised 10 years ago that he would see her again. Why hadn't he come for her yet?! He must have known how distraught she was without her friends! An emotional sigh escaped from Chihiro's lips as tears slipped from her pained eyes.

"Why do I even try anymore?" She asked herself. If Haku actually was coming for her, he would have done so by now. Her eyes scanned the green grass for any inclination that the spirit world lay before her. She was greeted with nothing.

Chihiro slowly picked herself up and with slumped shoulders, returned to the train station. She did not turn back.


	2. FaceBook

**(A/N): I would like to thank both Bloophearts and a Guest Reviewer for leaving insightful reviews for this story! I would also like to thank Jazuchan2 for putting this story on both her favorites and alerts lists!**

Chapter 2: FaceBook

"Oh, Chihiro, must you always have your face stuck in a book?" Yuko softly asked her daughter in a playful manner. Currently, Chihiro was sitting at their dining room table next to a large window. It was her usual study space since the large window provided natural light for reading and writing.

Chihiro nuzzled into her mother's hand as Yuko caressed her daughter's long, chocolate colored hair. "I know you're just trying to keep your mind busy, darling. I'm only teasing, is all!" Her mother stated as she left to grab a pot of tea. She set two tea cups down for both her and her daughter and poured some Chamomile tea.

_'If only she knew how right she was.' _Chihiro thought ruefully. Although her mother always hit the nail on why she did certain actions, her mother never really knew the actual reason for why she always stayed busy. Of course she was dedicated to her studies! Of course she wanted to help people and do a great job! But, most of all, she wanted to forget, even for just a moment, that her heart was left somewhere else 10 years ago.

"I haven't seen you draw anymore dragons recently—Why don't you take some time off of working so hard and do something you enjoy, dearie?" Her mom said.

Chihiro took a small sip of the delicious liquid before setting it back down on the table. She thought about her mother's suggestion momentarily. "Maybe in a little while Mom. I just want to make sure I am ahead for this Pharmacology class…I hear it can be troublesome." She told her mother truthfully.

Yuko nodded in understanding. "Why haven't you gone down the hill in a few days, Chihiro? I thought you loved that place?" Chihiro's eyes enlarged. Leave it to her mother to once again, see right through her.

This time, Chihiro stuttered. "I…It's just been too hot and I have this to do." She stated before pointing at her book, which had figures and diagrams that made it seem like it was written by aliens. Her mother gave her a playfully incredulous look. "Mmhm." Her mom stated. Chihiro buried her face back into her book as Yuko went to the sink.

Her mother was too inquisitive! But, she supposed it was out of her normal routine. Whenever Chihiro had free time when she came home, she _always _went down to the train station. A sharp pang resonated in her chest. She was tired of being let down every single time. She had to move on! For her own sake. Sitting around waiting for something to happen was getting old and—

"Chihiro! Did you just hear what I said, honey?" Yuko asked. Chihiro's eyes broke from the window and snapped to her mother who was drying dishes. She shook her head lightly, trying to clear her thoughts.

"Sorry, mom. What did you say?" She asked. Yuko gave another knowing smile. She placed a bowl into its respective cabinet before resting on the kitchen counter.

"The Obon festival is coming up next week. We have to start planning on what we're going to do. Do you want to make bouquets again this year? Or would you rather buy them?" Chihiro leaned back in her chair and pondered. _'That's right…Obon is next week and we haven't even started the preparations.' _

Tochinoki, the city where her parents resided, was especially into celebrating during Obon week. Almost all of the residents went out of their way to get ready for the coming of their ancestors. It was a huge deal. Each family cleaned their houses and offered food to the spirits in front of an altar. If they were feeling even more dedicated, the family could put bouquets of flowers and chochin lanterns around the altar as well. More lanterns were put outside of the house to lead the spirits home. Moreover, the townspeople gathered in the town park for celebrating Obon. Luckily for her family, the park lay right down the hill near the pathway to the crumbling train station. Trying to travel during the festival time was a near disaster. Despite the large amount of people traveling, the park was large enough to house all of the townspeople. It also was next to a flowing river where people could send off lanterns dedicated to the spirits, which was another huge aspect of celebrating Obon.

"I'd like to make bouquets, we could do them together. Are we going to decorate the chochin lanterns too?" Chihiro asked her mom. Yuki cocked her head to the side.

"We haven't done it in a few years, but of course we can. You can draw on them so you can take a break from studying so hard!" Her mother laughed. Chihiro giggled before turning back towards her book.

The doorbell rang, breaking Chihiro's newfound concentration on her studies. "I'll get it mom!" Chihiro offered. The girl ran to the front door and pulled it open.

"Chihiro-chan!" squealed a young woman from her doorway. The girl quickly enveloped Chihiro in a fierce hug.

"Ah, ah, Sumiko-chan—I can't breathe!" Chihiro gave a small laugh, despite being cut off from oxygen.

A male that looked exactly like Sumiko pulled her off. "You can't kill her the first moment you see her, sis!" The male chastised, even though his brown eyes sparkled in amusement. Sumiko pouted to the male. "But, Shuichi, we haven't seen her in four months!" The bubbly twin groaned to her brother while pushing curly black hair from her tan face. Chihiro laughed at the twins' antics. They lived a few houses down and had been in her grade throughout school. The two twins were the only true friends she made after leaving the spirit world.

Chihiro closed the door behind her as she stood outside with the twins. "So, Chihiro-chan! We know you just came home, but we wanted to ask you—" Sumiko began happily, while letting her twin brother finish with, "—If you wanted to go shopping for yukatas with us?"

"Uhm, sure! Let me go get my wallet and tell my mom." Chihiro smiled. The twins turned to each other and grinned similarly. "Okay!" They chorused in unison. Chihiro turned around and ran inside and grabbed her wallet.

"Hey Mom, do you mind if I go with Sumiko and Shuichi to town to shop for Yukatas for next week? Is there anything you need while I'm out?" Chihiro asked eagerly. Yuko turned to her daughter. "Of course! And no, we don't need anything here. Have fun!" Chihiro thanked her mother quickly and ran back out to the twins, who were waiting for her with huge grins.

.-x-.

Chihiro groaned inwardly. There were so many options! The young woman looked to Shuichi, who had it easy. Males only had a few options for yukatas, and did not have to spend _forever _trying to find one that fit, looked good, or complemented the person wearing it. In fact, he already had a plain grey yukata with a modest silver pinstripe pattern.

Chihiro slumped against a rack full of bright yukatas. "I'm never going to find one." Chihiro sweat dropped. She had already tried on a few yukatas, and was tired. Those garments were not the easiest to get in and out of. Despite all the hassle, at least she knew her size!

"Chihiro-chan! Do you need help?" Sumiko's bubbly voice asked. Chihiro gave her an overwhelmed smile. "I just might. There are so many options!" Chihiro exclaimed, while fingering through a few more.

Immediately, the twins started talking excitedly between each other. The two ran around the store pulling yukatas and holding them up to the other. While the two played a game of "Yay or Nay," Chihiro sighed and sat down. She suddenly wished for her salmon work clothes from the bathhouse. Those were simple, yet comfortable.

A yukata was shoved into Chihiro's face. "This one!" The twins exclaimed in unison. Their brown eyes shone in excitement.

Chihiro sat back from the garment to study it. It…was beautiful! The young woman stood immediately and grasped the soft cotton fabric. It was a pale bluish teal with royal blue koi fish dancing across the fabric. The yukata looked as if it was a picture of the fish swimming in a shallow pond. Bubbles and swirls made of silver thread also tailed after the fish, further making the yukata come alive.

"It's…it's lovely guys!" Chihiro exclaimed happily, while pulling the twins into a hug. "We knew you would like it—" Shuichi started. "—Because it is simple!" Sumiko finished brightly. Sumiko handed a white obi with faint silver swirls embroidered on it to Chihiro.

Sumiko clasped her hands in excitement before saying, "you're going to attract all of the boys, Chihiro-chan!"

Chihiro smiled slightly. If only it could bring the one male she dreamt about every night…But that was only wishful thinking.


	3. Heeeeere's Chihiro!

**(A/N): Thank you to all who reviewed! I will be responding to you all at the end of the chapter because some of you guys do not have accounts, and I want to still respond to you guys!**

Chapter 3: Heeeeere's Chihiro!

Chihiro groaned inwardly. The Obon festival was already halfway through, but she was so _tired._ Before the start of the week, Chihiro had been cleaning furiously with her mother. Since her father worked long hours, the two women took it upon themselves to do more than their part. Not only that, but the Ogino's next door neighbor was an elderly woman who was about 95. Chihiro saw the ancient woman attempting to beat the dust out of a carpet one day while collecting the mail. Being who she was, she immediately took on the task to help the lady out. She ended up cleaning the small house for the grandmotherly woman.

_Chihiro straightened her slumped back and winced as the bones of her spine popped. She stretched her tight muscles and turned a vase full of flowers so that its prettiest side was facing the front. Since she and her mother completed their own house, Chihiro offered to help clean Ms. Goto's house for her. _

_ The young woman completed cleaning the small house a few hours ago and had just finished decorating for Ms. Goto. Chihiro smiled softly at the pristine altar in front of her. 'I'm sure she'll love it. I'll have to go find her and show her.' Chihiro thought happily. She left the common area room and went in search for the older woman. _

_ A shuffling noise from Ms. Goto's bedroom got Chihiro's attention. "Ms. Goto, I just finished the decorations for the altar, do you want to see if it is to your liking?" Chihiro asked quietly as she stood in the doorway._

_ The hunched woman turned her still youthful eyes to the young woman. "Of course, Chihiro-chan! I'm sure you did a beautiful job. Oh, do be a dear and come here please." Ms. Goto waved Chihiro in with gnarled hands._

_ Chihiro stood next to the short woman and saw that Ms. Goto was going through her jewelry box. Chihiro barely managed to hold back a gasp at how beautiful all of her baubles were. She had everything from gold rings to intricate Kanzashi. _

_ "Chihiro-chan, I know the Obon festival at the park is tomorrow, and I want to give you something in return for doing such a great job in this old dump. But first, I have to find the darn thing!" Ms. Goto stated happily, while continuing to rummage through her large jewelry case._

_ A blush crept onto Chihiro's face. "Ms. Goto, I really don't think I deserve something in—" Chihiro begged. Ms. Goto held her leathery hand up to Chihiro to silence her before turning to the young woman wither wise eyes sparkling. "I found it!" She breathed happily._

_ In her hand was a ball-style Kanzashi. It was fashioned out of dark wood. The decoration was a small ball of Opal, which glittered in the light. It seemed as if it was giving off its own light rather than reflecting off the light of the room. Despite its simplicity, it was breathtaking._

_ "I don't deserve such a beautiful token, Ms. Goto," Chihiro stated bashfully. Ms. Goto smiled. "Nonsense, child! If there is anyone who deserves this, it is you.I never had any girls—I was blessed with 5 rambunctious boys! And besides, the spirits are roaming around during this time. This will keep you safe from the evil ones, love! My mother said that is was fashioned many, many years ago when the spirits still inhabited the earth with humans. The kanzashi will keep you safe." Ms. Goto gushed as she placed it in Chihiro's hand, and wrapped her worn hands around the young woman's. _

_ "I couldn't thank you enough…I will definitely wear it tomorrow. Thank you, Ms. Goto!" Chihiro thanked the elderly woman profusely before enveloping her in a hug._

Chihiro snapped out of her thoughts as she noticed her brush smeared black ink all over one of the chochin lanterns she was decorating. "Oh sh…." Chihiro stated, almost cussing loudly as she hurriedly attempted to blot the opaque ink. Her shoulders drooped as she looked at the blotched paper of the lantern. It was completely ruined.

"Miss Clumsy." Her father's deep voice chuckled as he entered the kitchen area to join her. He was already dressed in a simple, black yukata. She gave her father a playful glare before a sweat drop appeared on her forehead. "What am I going to do with this, dad? I don't want to waste it, but I don't have time to find another lantern."

Her father came to her side and gave a thoughtful humming noise. "Make it a cloud." He said seriously. She turned to him. "A cloud, dad?" She asked, unsure of his decision. Akio gave her a funny look before sitting down in front of his own lantern.

"Yes, baby. Just put one of those dragons you like so much on there for more decoration. Your mom won't stop gushing about your drawings. I'm sure she'll be pleased." Akio stated, while putting a heavy handed brush in the ink. He looked up momentarily to give his daughter his "you know your crazy mother" look that usually ended up with him receiving an elbow to the arm. Chihiro laughed and went back to her lantern. She smudged the ink to resemble a cloud and put more ink on the paper to make more clouds. Chihiro quickly grabbed a finely tipped brush and started outlining a snake like body on the paper. Soon, she was adding details and finalizing her painting.

A dragon was twirling through the sky and the clouds, with what seemed a grin on its face. Chihiro stood back from the lantern and smiled happily. It would do for the celebration later that night. Suddenly, her mother called her name from upstairs.

"Coming mom! See ya, dad!" Chihiro stated before running to the stairs of her house. She took them two at a time and went to her mother's bedroom.

"Yes, mom?" Chihiro asked. Her mother was standing in the bathroom applying a light layer of makeup. She was already in her subtle indigo blue yukata.

"Chihiro, we only have an hour, go get your undergarments on so I can help you with your yukata!" Her mother instructed.

The young woman ran to her room and tore her regular clothes off. She slipped on her lace yukata that went underneath the teal one. She tied the lace yukata tightly just as her mother shuffled in.

"When did you get so curvy?" Yuko teased her daughter as she placed towels around her daughter's midsection and tied them tightly in place. A blush crept onto Chihiro's face and she mumbled incoherently. Yuko's mirthful laughter filled the room as she slipped the light blue yukata on her daughter. She quickly set about putting it together nicely. Yuko's nimble fingers moved over the knots she made swiftly. Soon, she was wrapping the silver obi around her daughter's midsection.

"So beautiful! What about your hair and makeup?" Yuko asked. Chihiro gave her mother a funny look. She was not used to pampering herself or putting herself together beautifully. She was a college student after all.

Yuko gave an exasperated sigh before shuffling out of Chihiro's room to get her makeup. "Ah! The Kanzashi!" Chihiro exclaimed. She went to her dresser and pulled it out of a small jewelry box.

"What's that? It's gorgeous!" Yuko stated, while she set her toiletries down. Chihiro smiled. "Ms. Goto gave it to me for helping her with her house. I tried to refuse, but she gave it to me. I'm very thankful." She explained happily.

The two women chatted happily as Yuko pulled her daughter's long, chocolate-colored hair into a simple bun. She left a few strands to accentuate her daughter's face. Yuko then slipped the kanzashi into Chihiro's hair in order to keep the bun in place.

Akio's voice was heard downstairs. He was calling for the two women, stating that they had to leave soon or they would miss the beginning of the festival. Yuko bit her lip as she smiled at her daughter. She applied a light dusting of eye shadow and blush.

"Let's go before your father has a fit!" Yuko smiled to her only daughter.

.-x-.

"You look positively lovely, young one!" Ms. Goto smiled happily. Chihiro gave the elderly woman a bow. "Thank you. And, thank you for the kanzashi," Chihiro said respectfully.

"Oh, stand up dear!" Ms. Goto told the young woman. Chihiro did as she was told and walked with the old woman through the throngs of people that were in the park.

"Where do you want to go, Ms. Goto?" Chihiro asked the elderly lady, who looked around at the many people. "Just to the riverside, dear. At that point, I'll have to tell you to go find people your own age! What kind of young woman hangs around an old hag?" Ms. Goto laughed. Chihiro blushed furiously and argued with the old lady. In truth, Chihiro preferred the older population. At Ms. Goto's age, the seniors seemed more open and carefree. Most of them often spoke of ghosts and spirits…and when they did, Chihiro didn't feel as insane. It was almost if the elderly were the closest she could relate to. That was an interesting concept.

Chihiro helped the ancient woman sit down on a park bench near the water. "Do you need anything, ma'am?" Chihiro asked kindly. Ms. Goto swatted at Chihiro. "Go have fun! Stop being a nurse and be a young woman! I'll be fine. I'll see you atop the hill tomorrow," Ms. Goto laughed at the young woman who gave her a kind goodbye. As Chihiro turned and walked away, the kanzashi twinkled in the dim light of the chochin lanterns. Ms. Goto's smiled broadened as she turned her old eyes back to the river.

Chihiro moved through the crowd in hopes of finding either her parents or the twins before everyone was prompted to set their lit lanterns on the rushing river. Finally, she spotted the twins standing near the river, with their lanterns already lit.

"Hey guys!" Chihiro greeted brightly. They turned to Chihiro and responded with a big grin. "Hey Chihiro-chan!" The two responded simultaneously. Sumiko was dressed in a bright pink and green yukata while her brother donned a simple grey one.

"It seems you got here just in time, they're about to tell us to send our lanterns off!" Sumiko said. She then handed Chihiro a small lighter, which she took thankfully. As soon as the lighter was put into her hand, the trip heard the prompt signaling the time to start putting the lanterns in the water. Chihiro quickly lit her chochin lantern and the trio put their lanterns in the water together.

"Hopefully the spirits will like our lanterns this year and bless us!" Sumiko stated happily, while clasping her small hands together. Chihiro suddenly cried out in pain and grasped her wrist. "What's wrong?!" Shuichi asked the brunette girl, who was hunched over.

'My wrist, it hurts…" Chihiro gasped. The purple band around her wrist grew hot, as if it was set in a fire for an hour before being placed on her skin. It glittered more than usual as Chihiro stared down at it in disbelief.

"Did you burn it? Is your band too tight?" The twins asked in union, placing comforting hands on Chihiro's back.

The heat did not go away like it usually did. It was customary that the band would give her a warm reminder of her past…but this was different. It was a searing, almost yearning pain. "I have to go guys, I'm so sorry." Chihiro stated before taking off down the pathway and towards her house.

As Chihiro ran, she attempted to pull the strand off of her arm, but to no avail. Tears stung her eyes as she made it to the edge of the park, where the heat lessened. Chihiro gripped her arm tightly and continued running to the edge of the forest where the path lay. The pain on her arm continued to decrease as she moved closer to the path. It was dark and foreboding. Slowly, Chihiro moved to the pathway and started walking to the train station.

"This has to be a dream…" Chihiro stated in disbelief. The young woman moved past the weird statue in front of the entrance. She hadn't come back to the train station since her coming home from college. The last time she came to the station, she left more disappointed than usual…

She was nervous and scared as she moved through the tunnel. Like the first time she came to the train station, a rush of wind blew into the tunnel and pushed Chihiro farther along when she faltered in her steps.

"I'm definitely dreaming." Chihiro said again when she moved through the main part of the station. The only light was from the last rays of sunlight entering through the large windows at the top of the building. The purple band began to pulse on her wrist.

Chihiro's eyes studied the band carefully. Chihiro closed her eyes before she finally took a tentative step outside of the dilapidated building. When she opened her worried eyes, they were greeted with the twinkling lights of food shop signs in the far distance.

.-x-.

**(A/N): She's baaaccckkk! Thank you to all of the readers and reviewers. You are greatly appreciated.**

**Guest: I hope the "wow" is a good one! :3**

**Bloophearts: Hehehehe, not quite! He is coming soon, though!**

**Jeanne: Just this chapter before things really start to get rolling. Sorry if it seems long, I just wanted to have a little bit more backstory before she finally makes it home. Sorry for the wait! **


	4. Everything's Changed

**(A/N): I am slowly attempting to write another chapter on a Kindle Fire. I'm traveling to see my family and I do not have a wireless keyboard...haha! I'm literally about to text this whole chapter! Please forgive me for any grammatical or organization issues! I will also respond to reviews at the end! **

Chapter 4:

Chihiro stared in shock at the sight before her. It was the first time in ten years that she saw anything other than miles of tall, lush grass. Her mind worked to make sense of the situation. She moved slowly to the rocks that acted as a border between the train station and the spirit town.

"I have to cross soon!" Chihiro exclaimed out loud to herself. The last rays of sunlight were slowly disappearing into the darkness of night. Chihiro immediately noticed the water of the filling river was moving quickly. She took a look down at her yukata. She managed to run to the train station without making it dirty, but she did discard the sandals that were slowing her down. Chihiro's fingers started pulling quickly at the Obi that her mother tied so artfully. Quickly, she wrapped the Obi and slipped it into her wide sleeve. Next, she removed the ties and the troublesome towels around her midsection. She placed the towels down on a rock, and then tied a ribbon around her waist to hold her loose yukata. She used her other ribbon to tie her sleeves back into tasuki so that she could climb over the rocks.

She quickly stepped onto a rock, and was almost pushed over by the rising current. The young woman moved carefully across the rocks. Suddenly, a large wave came rushing towards her, and threw the girl against some jutting rocks.

"Agh." Chihiro muttered softly. She was laying across a large rock. The young woman brought a shakey hand to her head. She was incredibly woozy after her body smashed into the rocks. Her vision started splitting into two as she attempted to climb away from the strength of the water. The dark mass was licking at her already wet and shaking body, attempting to pull her back into the water.

Finally, she managed to pull her sore body up to the edge of the spirit town. She laid there quietly for a moment, attempting to grasp what was going on. A wave of fear hit her harder than the wave moments before. Her hands, which were resting on cobblestone, were being to become see-through.

Chihiro threw her body up immediately and ran through the town, attempting to find someone that might know her. She remembered the place like it was the back of her hand, but that didn't stop her from continuing to disappear. Chihiro collapsed on the ground in front of some food stores, which successfully resulted in spirits looking at her in distaste. The bathhouse was too far away. She would never make it in time. Tears of anguish fell from her troubled eyes. She was going to disappear, and there was nothing she could possibly do to help it.

The shop owner noticed the girl huddling in front of his stand and started yelling profanities. Chihiro winced, and scooted away from the oncoming spirit, who had a humongous fly swatter in his fat hand. "Get away from here, you insufferable scum!" The fat spirit screamed, swatting at the nearly translucent female. Chihiro stood up and attempted to run, but the spirit swatted at her, knocking the girl down.

"Or, we should roast you and serve you to the high level spirits..." the spirit muttered darkly as he grabbed her small arm.

"Release her immediately." A deep voice ordered from down the cobblestone pathway. Immediately, the fat spirit dropped the stunned woman back onto the ground. He turned to the commanding voice. The man backhanded the spirit. "Go get me a sliver of food immediately and I'll think twice of killing and roasting _you." _ The obese spirit happily obliged, and scuttled away from Chihiro and the man, who was still turned away from her. The shop owner spirit returned with a large piece of juicy meat, and dropped it into the man's waiting hand. He apologized profusely, before returning to his shop. "I swear that these insolent assholes make my rounds even harder than they need to be." The man muttered angrily.

Suddenly, he turned to her and his hand appeared in front of Chihiro's red face. It held a piece of the unknown meat. "Wha...what?" Chihiro asked, dumbfounded by the offering. The spirit was standing next to her with amused ice blue eyes. He looked rather peculiar. He was young looking with shaggy black hair. The man looked human, except for his sharp canines protruding from his pale lips. His hand motioned towards her hands, and he dropped the piece of meat into her waiting palms. "Thank you..." She told the spirit kindly, before popping the morsel into her mouth.

The spirit nodded before walking away from her, continuing his patrol. "Best hide, little girl. The Dragon may not be so kind." He called over her shoulder.

Chihiro's mouth feel open. Did he mean Haku? If so, she needed to find him immediately. She stood up quickly and ran into an alley way. Chihiro moved through the small passageways in the direction she assumed to be towards the bathhouse. She would just need to find a back way into the bathhouse and maybe-

"Halt, human." A cold voice stated from above her. She stopped dead cold into her tracks. Her brown eyes moved slowly towards a figure standing on the edge of a building. The figure was shrouded in shadows cast from the huge moon from

The person jumped down and landed lightly a few feet in front of her. The person who stopped her was a tall man with broad shoulders and stood at least 6'3''. His dark green hair was cropped short in almost a military haircut. He towered over her. He was dressed in simple linen clothes, but his presence dictated his high status.

"State your business immediately." The man snapped. Chihiro balked as she noticed his sharp green eyes stare at her. Ten agonizing years since the last time she saw those insightful green eyes that seemed to bore through her to her very soul. But now, they were narrowed at her.

"...Haku?" Chihiro stuttered out. The little boy had grown up into a handsome man, despite his cold outward appearance. The man in front of her stepped forward and stared her down. "Master Haku. Now, explain yourself." He stated harshly.

"Haku, it's me, Chihiro!" Chihiro cried out, placing a hand over over her pounding came all this way and yet, he treated her as if she was a criminal.

"Human, if you do not explain yourself now, I will be forced to hurt you." The Dragon spit out at the woman.

A resounding slapping noise echoed through the alley way. Haku's face was turned to the side. His pale cheek was slowly turning red.

Haku's eyes turned completely white as he snarled at the human woman, exposing his sharp teeth.

"How dare you!" Haku ground out, as he reached for her arm. She dodged out of his grasp, and ran down the alleyway back towards the main quickly shot after her, and grabbed the woman by her arm. Chihiro yelled in pain as she felt her joint protest from the abrupt yank backward.

Haku held her close to his body while he kept his hand around her arm. "Please play along." He whispered. Chihiro barely registered what he said before he yanked her again, leading the woman to the bathhouse.

"Master Haku, is everything under control?" A grumpy voice inquired from across where Haku first appeared. Haku nodded briefly to the boar spirit. "All is well, I will take care of the human from here." Haku stated to the spirit. The boar nodded before dissapearing into a cloud of smoke.

Haku let go of a large breath of air. He stopped Chihiro and placed a hand on her throbbing shoulder. "I know I hurt you, I'm sorry. I couldn't show that I remember you just yet. There are spirits around that will take advantage of that...things have changed since you left the last time." Haku apologized softly. His green eyes were still cold, but a warmth had broken through the facade. His hand glowed a light green. Chihiro gasped and felt the magic flow through her torn shoulder.

"Say something, Chihiro." Haku breathed. Chihiro didn't know what to think...it's was almost like last time. Haku confused, yet captivated her. Despite his even colder outward personality, it seemed as though he was still the kind, gentle person she remembered. Without thinking, she engulfed him in a huge hug. An awkward smile crossed over Haku's face as his strong arms wrapped around the small female.

Haku hugged her so hard that Chihiro's breathing was impaired. When she stepped back, her bright smile fell from her lips and a frown replaced it. as if reading her mind, he said, "I'll explain when we get back to the bathhouse...we have a lot to talk about."

Chihiro nodded, and followed the Dragon down the narrow alleyways.

.-x-.

**Jeanne: thank you! Hopefully this one wasn't bad with writing on this keyboard!**

**Roshini: thank you as well! There may be a few kicks down the road...a love triangle may or may not happen, but we'll see how Chihiro deals with the new Haku...!**

**Bloophearts: thank you for reading as always! Hopefully I don't bore you! :)**

**Spirit09: thanks for reading! I'm updating while I'm on the plane!**

**Thank you also to Spirit09, Buzooka Zooka, and xblack-nightmarex for either favoriting or following this story! Have to keep it short so I can update before we take off! Ahhhh!**


	5. It's Been a While

**Hello everyone! Back for yet another chapter! Will answer reviews at the end once again! **

Chapter 5: It's Been a While

The trek to the bathhouse was longer than Chihiro initially expected. She and Haku wound through tight alleyways whose width were no wider than Haku's broad shoulders. He effortlessly moved through the tight space however, leading the smaller girl behind him. Through their time in the alleyways, Chihiro sustained multiple scratches to her body.

When the pair finally broke out of the maze of the alleyways, the two were greeted with the twinkling lights of the immaculate bathhouse. Immediately, Haku pulled Chihiro behind a tall bush. Haku moved the branches of the prickly plant and stared at the busy bridge. "We have to take a different way around now...the guards posted at the front door are in tune with magic, and will sense the invisibility spell that I put on you." Haku whispered lowly.

Chihiro nodded silently, not wanting to make even more noise than her heavy footsteps already made. Haku tugged at her hand and lead her towards the cliff that had the pathway to the pigpen. He stopped short of the pathway and turned to Chihiro. "We're going to go down this way. The guards have yet to cross back through the pathway here, so now's the time. Don't let go of my hand." Haku commanded gently.

Haku walked confidently to the edge of the cliff and stepped off. He levitated in the air as if he was still on land. "Common, Chihiro, before they circle back." Haku reminded to the girl that had her feet glued to the cliff-side. His green eyes were staring at her intently.

Chihiro gulped inwardly. She remembered the time she ran across the pipe that was pulling away from the building...She didn't realize the seriousness of the situation because she was so focused on helping Haku. Chihiro did, however, develop a height issue after she made it back to the human world and had time to ponder over her spiritual trip.

"Now or never, Chihiro. Please come on." Haku's steely voice almost pleaded. His eyes were focused on multiple guards returning to their spot on the ledge of the cliff. Her eyes spotted the group, and gulped again.

"I have you, do you trust me?" He asked her. She nodded quietly, and put a shaky foot over the ledge. It stopped, as if her foot was still on ground. Her other foot joined her first, and soon she was standing on air.

Without a pause, a pair of strong arms wrapped around Chihiro. The two descended quickly down the side of the cliff, much to Chihiro's displeasure. Once they landed, she immediately felt sick, almost as if she as on one of those carnival rides that drops the riders 50 feet.

Haku pushed her gently against the rocky cliff and covered her with his body as the guards patrolled passed their location. Most of the group were human-looking , save for a few that looked like animals. When the patrol group was back towards the bathhouse, Haku pushed himself away from Chihiro. His green eyes shined brightly in the moonlight as he stared at the retreating group.

Slowly, his eyes returned to Chihiro, who was still trying to gather her bearings from dropping down the tall cliff. "Are you okay?" Haku whispered softly. His hand was warm on her shaking shoulder. "I'm just nauseous." She explained quietly, trying to hold back vomit that was rising in her throat.

Without warning, Haku's hand covered Chihiro's face. His hand glowed lime green. Chihiro's face scrunched in confusion as she felt her nausea dissapear. The sensation felt like an ocean's waves that were lapping away at her nausea. After a few moments, she felt completely better.

"Thank you..." She said, flashing a bright smile to Haku. His normal blank face cracked into a small smile. "Let's go." He told her, before leading her along side the cliff. Chihiro stayed silent as she followed the quiet man in front of her.

Things were different than the last time...that was for sure. For one, the bathhouse and the town were both heavily guarded. Something was up. Haku also wasn't the same person she left many years ago. Once she had given his name back and broke Yubaba's control slug, he was almost like a normal teenaged person; open and happy. But, with the passage of time, it seemed as though he had become even more mysterious and reserved. How much of that was due to current events, she did not know.

The two came upon a side entrance to the large bathhouse. The dragon turned to her and pointed silently to a door that was very familiar. It was the outside entrance to the boiler room where Kamaji worked. A flash of happiness shot through her body as she thought about re-meeting her friends again! It was only a matter of time now.

Haku slowly lead her up the creaky stairs. Luckily for them, the bathhouse was already bustling with workers and customers. They moved up the stairs carefully and quietly. Chihiro's eyes shifted below them, and she noticed that the marsh was once again green and full. The ocean of water was no longer there. She silently wondered how long it took for the water to evaporate before it became the marsh yet again.

Haku pulled the heavy door open for Chihiro, and she gladly entered the hot room. Despite the intense heat, it reminded her that she was safe now. It was her first place of safety the first time she was in the spirit world. As she walked through the hallway, she saw Kamaji's shadow on the wall of herb boxes.

"Get back to work! Break time is over!" Kamaji's gruff voice yelled over the loud noises in the boiler room. Chihiro peeked her head into the stuffy room. Immediately, the soot balls dropped their coal and started jumping excitedly as the young woman entered the room. "Hello everyone!" Chihiro exclaimed happily, smiling at the small soot balls that were jumping to greet her.

"Wah...Who are you?" Kamaji asked wearily, before slamming his mallet on the iron wheel and turning an angry eye to the soot balls. "What did I say? Stop messing around!"

"Don't you remember your granddaughter, Kamaji?" Haku stated briefly, before stepping down to the where the soot balls were. They climbed over his feet excitedly.

"Sen?!" Kamaji cried in disbelief. His mouth hung open before his arms extended out from his body. He carefully picked the young woman up and carried her back to his gave her a bone crushing hug. She returned it happily, despite her arms being barely able to encircle the spider spirit. Although his job had him constantly in the hot boiler room, he did not reek of sweat or dirt. Chihiro wondered slightly if that was a spirit attribute.

When Kamaji let go of her, he set her back to appraise her as a grand father would do to a beloved granddaughter. "You look well, my dear." Kamaji mused happily as he set Chihiro down next to Haku.

"Sit, sit! We all have much to go over. I'll serve tea." Kamaji said joyfully, a lilt to his voice that was obvious not used very often. After playing with the soot balls for a few moments, Haku and Chihiro sat at the small table behind Kamaji. The boiler man's arms brought over two chipped tea cups and a tea kettle. He poured a foul smelling green liquid into the two small cups and sighed happily.

"I'm so happy to see you. Lin will be excited to know you've arrived again. We have so much to talk about." Although Kamaji hadn't aged in the decade she had been away, it seemed as though he would have had more lines on his face than before. His attitude seemed to give away his stress level. He was somber, despite his happiness to see Chihiro.

"Where to start..." Haku stated, a glint of ill placed amusement flashed in his eyes and he took a small sip of the tea. His steely green eyes turned to the human woman across from him.

"A war broke out between spirits about 6 months after you left. It was brewing for many years before you even came, but it did not officially begin until a spirit assassinated one of the leading officials of the spirit world." Haku stated evenly, while watching Chihiro's fidgeting fingers.

"What is the war about?" Chihiro asked nervously. A pained smile crossed Haku's features. "You aren't the only human who has stumbled into the spirit world. During Obon, when humans celebrate spirits and ancestors, the portals to the spirit world become open. Some who are more in tune with the supernatural drift into this world because they feel a pull. Some are just unlucky." Chihiro's face scrunched in confusion, which prompted Haku to continue.

"In essence, more and more humans have stumbled into this world, the reason is still unknown. It may be because the separation is weakening, or by pure chance. No one knows. But, opinions and morals differ between spirits, and that has driven a divide between humans who arrive here are killed almost immediately when they happen upon the spirit world. Many spirits hate humans for what the have done to the earth...Humans have desolated much of it...and so, some spirits kill humans mercilessly when humans wander in. They have been condemned by those who do not mind your people, who welcome humans over.

"So when a no-human supporter killed a leading official who proposed peace with humans, it sparked a war. It just so happens that your legacy has not left the bathhouse, and we have to keep guard from those who despise those who tolerate humans. We, and others, even closed the portals for years to the human world to try and protect you all. But, some have still...trickled through." Haku explained, a glint of amusement in his usually blank eyes. Chihiro was quiet as she stared down at the smelly, yet delicious tea as thoughts ran through her mind. She tried to understand all that was going on.

"Is that why there are patrols and tighter security now? Is that why I never saw you again?" Chihiro asked, but she felt like she already knew the answer. Unshed tears threatened to spill from her chocolate brown eyes as he nodded solemnly. All this time she was cursing the fact that he never came back, that he had forgotten about her. Not only that, the bathhouse had housed her, and was even beginning to treat her like one of its own. Whether or not some of the workers approved of humans, everyone who worked there associated with a building that was inherently, human friendly. That made them a prime target as well.

Chihiro paled slightly. "I'm so sorry." She gulped out, realizing just what her presence meant to the bathhouse...She also realized how misplaced her dislike was for Haku who never went to her. Kamaji stopped working on his bathwater as soon as he heard her apologize and turned to the paled female. Haku's eyes narrowed slightly and his hand fell on top of her trembling ones. "It's not your fault...The divide between us spirits has been around for thousands of years. Do not blame yourself...You know I would have come for you if I had the chance, Chihiro." He said slowly, his long, pale fingers grasped her hands tightly. How could she have even had a doubt? He did nothing but prove he was loyal, even if his actions were at some times, convoluted.

Finally, the tears flowed down her face. But, as soon as they fell, Haku's hands touched her cheeks, and his fingers caught her tears. "Don't cry..." He stated. He withdrew his hand, and the tears moved in a circle above his palm before he closed his hand into a fist. The liquid evaporated into nothing.

Before Chihiro could say anything, an alarm that was loud and screeching, sounded throughout the building. It shook the entire infrastructure.

**Jeanne: Thank you very much! I am home and about to start Fall semester...:,C Hope this was suitable for you!**

**Spirit09: Thank you for the kind words! I also wrote this on the kindle, so hopefully it is okay as well! Hopefully you like where this is heading!**

**Thank you to all of you who have read, reviewed, favorited, and followed! **


	6. Feel Like Slapping Somebody Today

**Hey everybody! This is my first time back on a computer, so my writing should be a tad better! I tried rereading and catching some of the mistakes I made in past chapters. If you find any, please let me know! Reviews and acknowledgments in the end of the chapter!**

**.-x-.**

Chapter 6: Feel Like Slappin' Somebody Today

Cold and calculating green eyes clashed with nervous and meek chocolate eyes. Haku's face, which was just beginning to show emotion, was now locked back into the mask of a hardened man. Chihiro gulped while she watched the slight transformation of character in front of her.

"Chihiro, I need you to stay here with Kamaji. Under no circumstances do you leave the boiler room, no matter what happens." Haku said in a rushed voice. Chihiro nodded hastily. He stood up swiftly from the table and stepped into the pathway where the soot balls dragged the coal to the fire.

"Un!" Haku said sharply through the blaring of the alarm, while placing his feet into his sandals. Not a moment after he said the word, a puff of smoke appeared in front of him. When it cleared, a female was kneeling in front of the dragon with a hand over her chest.

"Milord." The beautiful female stated boldly, as her long, ebony hair shimmered around her. Chihiro's mouth dropped open at the beauty of the female in front of her.

"I need you to protect Chihiro," Haku instructed. He tilted his head toward the gaping human female still sitting at the table. Intense, blood red eyes immediately snapped to the human. The woman in front of Haku sneered.

"She's the cause of all th-" The woman began, as she stood to her full height. Haku's hand snapped around the woman's armored upper arm.

"You are instructed to protect her, Un. You. Will. Not. Touch. Her." Haku ground out, his eyes bleeding white momentarily. Un pulled her arm away from the man and grunted, before heading over to the silent brunette at the table.

Without another word, Haku disappeared in a loud crack. It sounded as if lightning struck the room.

Un stood in front of the small female, who stood to meet the armored woman. "Nice to meet you, Un-san." Chihiro stated amiably, before bowing deeply. When Chihiro stood up fully, she noticed the woman was huge! She was at least 5'11''. Un was unusually tall with long locks of shiny black hair. The most unnerving attribute about the woman was her blood colored eyes, which were currently staring at Chihiro with hatred.

"I'm supposed to be protecting the inside of this building, not some whelp who mistakenly happened upon the spirit world. You're lucky, little girl, that there are more than just a few guards around here." Un sneered. Her sharp, white teeth protruded from her pale lips, gleaming in the flickering light of the fire. Chihiro narrowed her eyes slightly. _'What is up with her?'_ She thought, while refusing to lose eye contact with the humongous woman, who was trying to intimidate her.

Kamaji cleared his throat, which brought the attention of both women to himself. "Ladies, behave. We don't need any more issues in the bathhouse." The women locked eyes again before turning on their heels and crossing their arms.

"HUMPH!" Both women grunted, before stalking to opposite sides of the large boiler room.

.-x-.

Haku dropped from a balcony at the front of the bathhouse and landed easily next to a shaggy-haired man who stood at the front of the guards. The dragon grit his teeth as he stared at the multiple spirits that were standing opposite of the bathhouse guards.

"Haku, such a pleasure that you have finally joined us. I was wondering when you would come out from hiding. Where is the bath hag?" A tan spirit chuckled lightly, before scanning the bathhouse's tense guards.

Haku squared his shoulders at the man before walking smoothly to the edge of the bridge. "She's busy, Masaru. Would you like me to take a message?" Haku grit out between his teeth. Despite the venom of his voice, Haku's face remained impassive, almost as if he was bored of the situation.

Masaru's head tilted and the man cracked a wide grin. "Never a nice man, Haku. No wonder no one fancies you." Masaru started, before running a hand through stark white hair. "Well anyways, tell Yubaba that we don't find it appealing that you all don't mind sheltering…those sad excuses for beings in this district…Especially since, the bathhouse is such a renowned business…What would your customers think if a human was milling about the place?" A teasing lilt accompanied Masaru's deep voice, making it seem as though he was just poking fun at the bathhouse. Haku's eyes narrowed. He knew better. It wasn't a friendly gesture. It was a warning.

Haku snapped his teeth together. His muscles of his face were twitching slightly underneath his pale skin. "I'll take that under consideration, Masaru." Haku told the man in an even tone, before turning crisply to his guards.

"Oh and Haku, you may want to remove this barrier you have around this place. It won't do you any good if someone were to _come on by._" Masaru laughed loudly, while backing a few steps away from the bridge. He turned and with an arrogant sway in his pace, began to walk away from the bridge. His tanned face donned a huge grin. His henchmen followed suit, all cackling with derisive amusement.

Voices from the bathhouse's guards piped up as soon as Haku returned to them. "Master Haku, is there really a human?" A boar spirit asked, his ugly snout splaying spit all over the place. "We can't be harboring a _human_, can we Master Haku?" A humanoid spirit piped up. His fox ears twitched nervously.

In front of all of the guards, the shaggy-haired man that stood next to Haku grinned at the dragon. Haku eyed him carefully before raising his voice. "Enough! As you all know, this bathhouse is tolerant of humans. I distinctly remember telling each and every one of you that being human-tolerant was part of the job description. You all agreed to it when you signed your contract. If you have any issues with harboring, protecting, or befriending a human, then I suggest you leave now." Haku bellowed, before crossing his arms in front of his guards. A low rumble of voices started, debating the human that was supposedly there.

After a few moments, Haku asked "Is anyone leaving?" The guards snapped to attention before bowing slightly in unison.

"No Master Haku, you took us in. We took this job understanding what it meant to work here." The same fox spirit explained quietly. The other guards grunted and nodded in agreement.

Haku's lips twitched slightly. "I am glad. Please return to your duties." The dragon said simply. Some guards disappeared while others walked away to return to their posts.

The guard that was eyeing Haku finally broke down in laughter. "I just can't take you seriously!" His icy blue eyes crinkled in laughter and tears from laughing were about to spill onto his face. Haku scowled at the laughing man in front of him.

"Calm yourself, A." Haku told the man in an exasperated tone. A finally found his composure before looking at the dragon seriously.

"You found that human girl, didn't you? I smell her all over you." A said slyly, while pretending to sniff Haku. Haku rolled his eyes before walking towards the entrance of the bathhouse. "Why are you treating me this way? I saved her, you know!" Haku's head snapped back towards A. His delicate eyebrows furrowed in irritation.

"Yeah, she was disappearing. One of those fat assholes in town was manhandling her, so I decided to intervene. I gave her some food after scaring the lights out of that prick." A gave Haku a thumb's up, while grinning evilly.

Haku gave A a mildly disgusted look. Sometimes he wondered about A's sanity. One moment he could be tearing apart spirit and the next he could be poking fun about something that really wasn't that entertaining.

A's smirk grew wider. "Before you say, 'I do not understand why I put up with your antics,'" A mocked Haku's deep voice, "I would think about how kind I was to that hot human girl." A smacked his lips together, acting as if he was remembering a delicious steak he ate the day prior.

Haku's eyes bled white as he flashed in front of A. The two men were about the same height and stared at each other without relenting.

"I'm kidding! Crap, Haku, take a joke. Do you know her or something?" A snickered, as he watched the anger drain from Haku's face. Without notice, the dragon disappeared with a loud crack of lightning.

"I wonder what has his underwear in a bunch." A stated out loud, before a fresh wave of chuckles hit him.

"A, shut up already! The customers don't like rambunctious idiots!" Aogaeru, a frog spirit, yelled shrilly at the man who was on the bridge still laughing hysterically. The regular workers were starting to assume their posts after Masaru and his henchmen left. A's mischievous blue eyes shot to the frog, who immediately shut his mouth and backed away from the smirking man.

A tilted his head as an evil smirk appeared on his lips. Aogaeru gulped and bowed deeply, apologizing profusely before disappearing. Another bout of laughter bubbled from A's lips before his thick muscles tensed. A's legs propelled him upwards, and he scaled the side of the bathhouse in a few seconds. When he landed on the immaculate roof, A slumped on the edge and swung his legs back and forth.

Haku rarely got bothered….but he was bothered by the safety of a _human_, no less. A knew exactly how to work Haku's buttons, and the dragon played perfectly into his little scheme of prying for juicy information. Haku knew that human girl…how, he didn't know. Maybe he'd ask the human. She'd probably give him information, since the dragon was a tightly sealed book. Yeah…he'd ask the human, as soon as his shift of watching over the entire city was over. He had a long time until dawn, though, but he could wait. A was used to sitting and waiting…and boy, was the information going to be worth it.

.-x-.

_**Hey guys, so a few more characters have been introduced. If you guys are wondering, A's name is pronounced as "Ah." I always hate it when I read something and I spend more time wondering how to pronounce the name rather than actually reading the material. Hope it helps! **__**Also, I will be upping the curse words, at least for A. So, if that bothers you, I am sorry. I'm letting you know in advance!**_

**Jeanne: I'm glad it explained it a little—more has yet to be explained though! Thank you!**

**TohruKyoYuki: Thank you so much for your thoughtful review! Did you like **_**Spirited Away?**_

** : I think I will make it to the end with this one. I really enjoy writing this story! I'm **

**glad the story suffices! Thank you so much! **

**Ili777: I think I will be able to update regularly! It's still early in my college semester so my updates **

**may be a tad slower! Thank you! **

**Bloophearts: Thank you! I know it was uncanny. :C I have to work on predictability. Thanks for the **

**review!**

**Thanks to natnatgibbs, Blks7r, Givemecookies, , OldestOfTheYoung, Chihiro Sen Nushi, and ili777 for following or favoriting either "TLoD" or my account!**


	7. We Do Things Differently Around Here

Chapter 7: We Do Things Differently Around Here

"You're dismissed." Haku stated coolly as he appeared suddenly in the loud boiler room. He was staring at the tall woman with intense green eyes. Un was sitting with her legs crossed at the exit of the room, with her back to Chihiro and Kamaji. When she heard Haku, Un turned slowly to face him. "Milord." Un greeted evenly. Un's red eyes were staring angrily at the compressed dirt that Haku was standing on. Even though she did not express her anger, her narrowed eyes spoke of her irritation. Despite the woman being upset, Haku did not acknowledge the apparent emotion. Sensing that she was not going to get some sort of acknowledgement from the stoic man, Un disappeared in a cloud of white smoke.

Haku shook his head before running a hand over his short hair. He turned to the small woman who was seated in the same spot that he had left her in prior to the alarm. His eyes were narrowed and blank, so unlike the boy she remembered. Chihiro felt a little uneasy. Haku treated Un as if…she was some kind of animal. The way he dismissed her was off-putting. Even if she and Un didn't get along, Chihiro didn't feel as though anyone should be treated that way. Chihiro opened her mouth to comment, but stopped. Haku looked irritated—and she didn't want to be the one to egg that emotion further.

"Hey." Chihiro said quietly as Haku slumped down on a cushion opposite of her. He nodded to her before he held his hand out. Chihiro looked at it in confusion. Before she could question what he was doing, a scroll materialized in his palm. He flicked it open. The milky paper rolled off of the table next to him as he pressed his index finger to the paper.

Chihiro regarded him quietly, not wanting to bother him as he was looking over the scroll. Haku's finger began moving gracefully over the paper, as if he was writing with his hand. Chihiro's eyes widened and a small gasp escaped from her lips. He was writing with his hand! Behind his hand movements, black ink was bleeding into the paper.

Haku noticed her vocal reaction. He looked up through his eyelashes at her. The corners of his lips twitched upwards. "You've forgotten that this world is different than yours, Chihiro." Haku said simply, before rolling the paper up. With a loud pop, the scroll disappeared into nothing. Chihiro pursed her lips slightly. He was right. It wasn't only the magic that was different about the spirit world.

Chihiro fiddled with her thumbs as a pregnant silence went between the two. Kamaji and the soot balls were working diligently, almost ignoring the two people sitting at the small table.

"Uhm, so when do I get to see everyone?" Chihiro asked cautiously. She really didn't know how to regard this person before her. He used to be kind toward her, but it seemed as though his icy façade included shutting her out as well now.

As if sensing her uneasiness, he settled a large hand over hers. "Everyone will be going to bed soon, and will not awake until dawn tomorrow. You may see them after dawn." Chihiro's hopeful face fell. She wanted to see Rin and Boh. She even wanted to see the Yunna, who isappear her at every chance they had...And Yubaba. Chihiro wanted to see the old bath hag too. Even after all that the old woman had put her through.

"In the mean time, you will stay here with Kamaji. It is the safest for you right now." Haku instructed cooly. His authoritarian tone told her that his instruction was final, that she shouldn't argue what he had to say. Like Chihiro would go for that. She was an adult woman, she could make her own decisions!

"I don't mind staying here, but don't I get a say on where I spend the night?" Chihiro breathed, sounding a tad bit more snappy than she planned on sounding. Her voice was sharp. So sharp that Kamaji momentarily paused from grinding his herbs to stare down at the two young adults who were in the middle of staring eachother down.

Haku's stoic face cracked slightly. A look of confusion crossed his immaculate features. He looked taken aback, as if no one had questioned his authority in many years. Immediately, Chihiro cringed back from his confused look that was splayed across his face. Undermining the authority of a powerful man never ended well. But then he took her by surprise. He laughed.

It was Chihiro's turn to have a flabbergasted look plastered on her face. He was _laughing?_ She stared at him in shock with her mouth hanging open. His deep chuckles made his whole body shake, and a huge smile donned his pale lips.

"Well fine, you can go outside if you'd like." Another bout of laughter erupted from his lips as he stood up to his full height. "Wait-Why do you find this funny? I don't understand." She said, while joining him by standing up too. She was almost annoyed at the fact that he found the situation so funny. He was such an enigma! One moment his glare could cut through ice and the next he was laughing!

Haku's lips split into a small smile that showed his sharp, pearlescent teeth. "It's been many years since someone's talked back to me or even questioned my orders. I suppose it's refreshing." With a wave of his hand, a large pile of blankets and pillow appeared on the table that the two were standing over.

Chihiro's eyes were still furrowed when he circled the table to stand in front of her. He placed a callused hand softly on her shoulder. "In any case, I would appreciate it if you stayed here. You're safest here. Goodnight." With the hint of a smile softening his hard features, he isappeared into thin air.

Chihiro's shoulders slumped and she let out an uncharacterically loud sigh. "He's no less difficult now than he was back then, little one." Kamaji stated gruffly over his work to Chihiro. The boiler man wasn't moving so fast now. He was actually finishing up his final work for the night. He wasn't grinding any more herbs, but was instead cleaning around his work area. Without thinking, Chihiro padded over to his bench and picked up his old, ratty blanket.

"Here you go, Kamaji."The young woman handed the blanket up to the spirit, who took it gratefully. Chihiro's face was sullen and saddened...Something that should not be on her face after she arrived to her rightful home. Kamaji's eyesbrows furrowed. He slowly extended his arm toward her. A clawed hand rested on Chihiro's head, ruffling her hair slightly in a way that a grandfather would do to cheer up his beloved granddaughter.

"What's wrong?" The old spirit asked sympathetically. The sootballs, who finally noticed the young woman's saddened emotions, were rolling around nearthe edge of the wood platform. Little squeals emitted from the little black soot balls. It sounded as if they were trying to tell her it was going to be okay.

Tears welled up in Chihiro's eyes. She choked slightly. "I just...imagined that everything would be the same, and it isn't. It's not the same place that I've dreamed about coming back to. Everyone's stressed and nervous and there's nothing I can do to make it better." Chihiro sobbed out quietly. She hadn'nt even seen anyone else yet, and she could already tell that everyone was more somber and withdrawn. Her shoulders started shaking with the sobs that she let out. It was the first time she completely let out all of her emotions from the ordeal. Chihiro cried with Haku earlier, but only a few tears fell before she stopped. Now...now was different. She thought that she would be ecstatic to beback. She dreamt about coming back since the day she left...Not once did she think it would end this way. From the militarization of the bath house town to Haku's haunted and steely eyes...she was not prepared for it.

Kamaji's clawed hand wiped the tears away. "You being here is enough, Chihiro. I do not remember the last time I saw Haku smile...Let alone laugh. Even after he came back to run the security here, he became hardened again. Not because of Yubaba's control slug, but because he had to be a strong leader. He's seen and done things that have made him become this way. Despite this, his facade cracked today. He smiled and laughed...Because of you. You are already making a difference. So don't worry. Just be yourself, and you'll do more than you'd ever imagine."

Chihiro nodded and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. When she pulled her hand away, she noticed the teal blue of her yukata. "Oh no, I completely ruined this..." She stated while examining her yukata. It was the first time she realized just how much she'd been through. The beautiful garment was frayed, wrinked, and stained. More tears threatened to leave her eyes, but she held them back. '_Enough crying...' _She thought. She had to be stronger.

"I'll boil you some water to wash yourself off. It should be good enough until tomorrow." Kamaji told her. He reached to a shelf and pulled out a large kettle. He also grabbed a rag, and a large, ratty t-shirt. As Chihiro was stripping off the dirtied outer yukata, Kamaji fished for something in one of the highest cabinents on his wall. When his hand withdrew, purple and red leaves were clutched within his hand. With another arm, Kamaji slowly put fresh water into the tea kettle from a spout near the entrance to the bathhouse.

Kamaji finally handed the rag and the large t-shirt to Chihiro. After, he placed the filled kettle down and dropped the brilliantly colored leaves into the pot. The water inside the kettle immediately started steaming.

Chihiro started folding the yukata up in preparation for cleaning herself up. When she lifted the bundle up, her hair ornament slid from her sleeve and fell to the ground. Chihiro gasped. She had totally forgotten about the hair ornament! The woman immediately stooped over to pick up the object. It seemed even more beautiful than before. Even in low light, the opal sent off multicolored rays from its depths. The gem looked more clear than it did before. It looked truly magnificent. She set the hair piece down on top of her yukata. She definitely had to take better care of it.

Kamaji's hand appeared in front of her concerned face with the boiling pot. "But, Kamaji, how did you heat it up so fast?" Chihiro asked incredulously. Kamaji gave a small smile before turning away from her.

"The leaves are called Phoenix Tails. When introduced to water, the leaves immediately raise the temperature of the liquid to boiling point. Fairly useful without fire." The old spirit explained before turning around so she could bathe.

"If you don't mind me asking...Then why don't you use these leaves for the baths?" She asked, while stripping off her yukata slip. She immediately poured the hot water into the rag, and then started scrubbing her skin until she started turning red.

"Phoenix Tail leaves are a rare commodity. Plus, we pump too much water. Our output of water would probably require more of the leaves than there is available." Kamaji explained while still facing away from her. The woman nodded in understanding. Soon, she was done scrubbing her whole body. Her usual tan skin was reddened by the vigorous treatment that it just I. Chihiro quickly placed the large t-shirt over her body. Luckily, it was long enough to almost reach her knees. The woman sighed in happiness. She was clean!

"Good night, Chihiro. I'm sure tomorrow will be a better day." Kamaji told her. Chihiro smiled happily and wished him a goodnight. She threw the plush blankets and pillows on the ground and nestled herself in. Kamaji turned the remaining lights off just as Chihiro pulled the covers up to her chin. Within minutes, Chihiro was asleep and dreaming.

.-x-.

A faint rustling stirred Chihiro from her sleep. The woman groaned. She hated the mornings! Chihiro peeled her eyes apart slowly. In front of her face was a set of icy blue eyes.

"AGH!" Chihiro screamed, before slapping whatever it was that was so close to her face. She scuttled backwards, and finally caught her breath.

"What's going on?!" Kamaji's voice boomed from his makeshift bed. He threw his blanket off and his arms loomed over himself, making him look like the spider he was.

In front of both of the startled people, sat a black haired spirit who was sitting on his haunches. He was rubbing his reddened cheek with his palm. "Man, for a human, you've got quite a hand there." The spirit chuckled, before falling back onto his butt to sit. Kamaji shook his head in irritation and turned to his work station.

"You're…the guy that saved me! Thank you so much. Also, I'm really sorry for slapping you." Chihiro told the spirit before bowing deeply before him. He gave her a huge grin and pushed her back to sitting.

"You don't have to bow. But, you can pay me back." The spirit stated in a sing-song voice. He quickly grabbed her hand. Kamaji turned around and started yelling something. Before Chihiro could hear his voice clearly, she felt her body being sucked into a vortex. For a split second, she was suspended in nothingness. It was a feeling that she had never felt before.

Without warning, the ground appeared before her. Her feet landed roughly on concrete. If it wasn't for the spirit's hand holding her up, she would have toppled over onto her knees. "Uhm…where are we?" Chihiro asked. She looked to the spirit, who was giving her a coy look.

"First, my dear, is introductions." The tall, muscular man stated happily. With her feet together and his hand over his midsection, he bowed to Chihiro. When he returned to his full height, his smile grew wider. "I am A! I am second in charge of the security here. Second to only Master Haku…!" A stated boldly while wiggling his eyebrows at the woman in front of him.

Chihiro regarded him quietly. He was definitely boisterous. Almost a 180 turn from the man that saved her the night before. She bowed deeply to him anyway. "I'm Chihiro. It's nice to see you again, A." She stated formally.

"Stop being so formal!" He told her happily, before dragging her to the edge of where they stood. When they stopped short of the edge, Chihiro noticed they were standing on top of the bathhouse. It was a lot higher than Chihiro thought. Not only that, but she noticed that it had to be at least 45 minutes before dawn. It was still dark outside and none of the lights of the town were lit.

A dropped onto his butt and swung his legs over the edge. He motioned for Chihiro to do the same. Chihiro carefully lowered herself on the ledge. She started swinging her legs, all while looking at the scenery around her.

"So here's how I want you to pay me back…" A drawled. His eyes were pinned to Chihiro's. Another grin appeared on his handsome features. "I want you to tell me how you know Haku."

Chihiro leaned back from A. Boisterous and blunt. She fiddled with her hands before turning her view back to the spirit town, trying to escape A's eyes. "Well, I came here 10 years ago. My parents were turned into pigs because they ate the spirit food here. I worked for Yubaba in order to—"

"You're the girl who gave Haku his name back?" A interrupted quickly. His playful eyes were now looking at her in appraisal, almost as if trying to determine if she was worthy to be the one to give Haku back his name. Disgruntled by his lack of manners, she nodded in confirmation.

"Wow, this is juicy. The love of his life has returned." A stated while giving her a devious smile.

A deep blush spread over her face. "No, there's no way! We're just friends!" Chihiro shook her hands in front of her body.

"Oh really?" A busted into laughter. His chuckles made his body shake, which threatened to make him roll off of the edge of the roof.

Suddenly irritated by his playful teasing, she decided to change the subject. "Ok, so how do you know Haku?" She asked quickly.

A immediately stopped laughing and his eyes returned to ice. He shrugged indignantly. "I suppose I can tell you. It's not really a secret. Wellllll….about 9 or so years ago, the war over accepting or denying humans broke out. During the first battles of the war, many spirit cities were burned to the ground. Even holy temples were burned down…I used to work at a temple with my sister before it was burned to a crisp. Both my sister and I were severely injured trying to stop what was happening, but we failed."

"Anyways, long story cut incredibly short, Haku found and helped us while recruiting people to help protect the bathhouse and the town around it. Since we no longer had a place to go, my sister and I both joined him. We were the first to go with him." Chihiro nodded silently. She wondered if she would meet his sister. Hopefully she was saner than her friendly, yet eclectic counterpart.

"So, what kind of spirit does that make you then?" Chihiro asked out of the blue. He looked at her with a slightly hurt face. "You can't tell what kind of spirit I am? I just gave you all the information. Sheesh." A told her. He crossed his arms and mock-pouted.

"Well, I know that foxes, komainu, and boars often protect holy places…" Chihiro thought about her Japanese history. "Ding, ding, ding! I'm a komainu spirit." A stated, while holding a clawed hand up. He gave her a huge, open smile that showed two perfectly lined rows of sharp teeth.

Chihiro, without thinking, gave him an incredulous look. "Aren't you a little obscene to be protecting holy places?" Chihiro deadpanned. Immediately after, she flushed red and slapped her hand over her mouth. "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry." She mumbled through her mouth. A erupted into a boastful laughter. "Everyone says that, but I don't see why!" A wiggled his eyebrows mischievously. Chihiro smiled and turned her attention back to the sky. The first signs of dawn were appearing over the horizon. "Man, I haven't laughed that hard in a while. Good going. I may not eat you after all."

"We don't taste good. Promise." Chihiro joked back. Even though he was really out there, he seemed like a genuinely good person. She was glad that she had made a new friend of sorts.

Someone cleared his throat from behind the pair. Immediately, the two swiveled around. Haku stood behind the two with his strong arms crossed over his chest. His emerald eyes were staring down at A. Chihiro balked at the man, who was glaring daggers at the man beside her.

"So not only did you leave your post, you also failed to mention to Kamaji that you were transporting a human to the roof of the bathhouse." Haku bit out. _'A human? Is that what I am to him?'_ Chihiro thought as A shot a look to her. He whined back to Haku, "I was only gone for 3 minutes. And she's a cool human. She didn't get sick when I transported her."

The sinews of Haku's muscles in his face flexed under his pale skin. Chihiro could swear she could hear him grinding his teeth. Before Chihiro could blink, Haku was standing where A was sitting. In his hand was A's neck, who was currently being held off of the roof's edge. Chihiro immediately stood and grabbed at Haku's grey tunic.

"What are you doing? What's your problem?!" Chihiro screamed loudly. A was pulling at Haku's hand that was digging into the muscles of his neck. His face was starting to turn blue.

"I told you already. We do things differently here, Chihiro. If you cannot accept that, then you do not belong here." Haku said calmly. A's blue eyes were starting to bleed red from popped blood vessels. A few seconds later, his attempts to free himself halted, and his arms fell limp.

"Stop, you're killing him!" She yelled again, trying to pull at his bloodied hand. Haku looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Fine." With a zap of lightning, Haku disappeared, leaving A's unconscious body to fall to the ground.

.-x-.

**(A/N: So, a really long chapter. It seems that some of the spirits have histories that affect their present decisions. I wonder how it will play out in the future? Stay tuned to find out. **** Also, I'm really trying to show how the war has affected everyone…Maybe Chihiro's return will be the event that changes people?)**

**Jeanne: I think that there will be character development and that prior relationships may be strained due to current circumstances. For example, TLoD won't showcase an immediate and perfect unison between our beloved Haku and Chihiro. Many aspects are different between them, and it's starting to show. I don't foresee a triangle, but who knows? ;)**

**Ili777: A is definitely a character. I try to show that every character is flawed, just like real people are. Everything comes in time…and I think that Chihiro's kind heart may penetrate through to Un. **

**Spirit09: Thank you! Hope everything is reading well for you!**

**Special thanks to all that have read, reviewed, favorited, and followed TLoD! Especially Jeanne, Ili777, Spirit09, Kate Rogers, Weirdnfreaky, and Bluekrystal2583 who did one of those things! Yay things!**


	8. Appearances Are Everything

Chapter 8: Appearances Are Everything

It all happened in slow motion. It seemed like it took minutes, rather than seconds, for A's body to land on the ground. Chihiro was stuck. She was scared at what she saw. She was in turmoil about the boy-turned-man that she dreamt about seeing for 10 years who let his second in command fall to his death.

Tears spilled from her face before her brain finally clicked in. A's crumpled body on the ground stirred something in her. "I have to go save him!" She told herself frantically. Although she knew it was nearly futile to save someone from a drop like that, she hoped that maybe spirits weren't as frail as humans were.

As she ran around trying to find a quick way down, she noticed a ladder on the far side of the roof. Immediately, she ran over to it and began climbing down. The climb down was long and arduous, but she pushed through the pain and sweat. She was to be a nurse, after all. She couldn't let someone die, not in her watch.

Eventually, Chihiro made it down to the steps that she knew all too well. They were the stairs that led to the boiler room. On all fours, she climbed up the stairs as quickly as possible. "I'm almost there!" She told herself. The sun was finally shining, and even in the early morning, its heat beat down on her unceremoniously. As the last step came into view, she hurriedly took the stairs two at a time.

There he was, on the bridge, unmoving. No one was up yet and no one was surrounding him. Spirits would just be now waking up. Chihiro sprinted over to him and knelt by his side. A's limbs were crumpled around his body.

"Oh, no…Someone, HELP! Please, anyone!" She screamed loudly. Hopefully someone would hear her. She checked for breathing. His chest didn't rise and she couldn't hear one. She immediately checked his pulse, which also was absent.

Chihiro repositioned herself behind A's head. Luckily, he was already on his back. She pressed her fingers underneath his jaw and pulled it forwards in order to open his airway without moving his neck too much. He still wasn't breathing, and she still didn't feel a pulse either.

"Common, someone help, please! Yubaba?! Lin?! Anyone, please!" She screamed out loud. She didn't want to risk moving him by removing his tunic. She tried searching for sharp objects. On his right leg was a set of throwing knives. She removed one and started cutting away at the outer shirt.

"What happened?!" A familiar voice yelled from the entrance to the bathhouse. As Chihiro placed her hands on A's bare chest, Lin ran over to her. But, there was no time for reunions just yet.

Chihiro started pumping A's chest, trying to keep his heart moving blood throughout his body. Chihiro stared at A's body with unshed tears. In between counting, she said to Lin, "Haku let him fall from the roof unconscious." Lin gasped.

Ignoring her friend, Chihiro pinched A's nose and breathed into his open mouth. As she started again the compressions again, more people filled the bridge, watching the human do some crazy ritual on A.

"What's she doing?" One Yunna asked quietly, while holding a fan over her face to cover her mouth. The spirit next to her shrugged. "Probably some dirty human trick."

A scratchy voice boomed over all of the talking voices. It was Yubaba. "Move away from the guard, Sen. I will take care of him." Chihiro shook her head and continued pressing on his chest. Yubaba clicked her teeth and made a hand movement. Chihiro's hands flew to her side and were pinned to her thighs. She was then thrown backwards, but Lin caught her in time so she didn't fall.

Chihiro watched as Yubaba, who was still in her bathrobe, placed a wrinkled hand over A's chest. Her hand glowed a purple color. The color seeped into A's body and spread through it. As soon as the purple disappeared, A started breathing.

As A began breathing, Un pushed through the crowd and knelt next to the man who was beginning to wake up. Un's ebony hair and pale skin matched A's perfectly. "Is that his sister…?" Chihiro asked in shock. Lin nodded quietly. Her newest friend was siblings with the person who hated her.

"Who is responsible for this?" Un howled. Her blood red eyes searched through the many anxious faces around her. As if subconsciously, every face that watched Chihiro perform CPR turned to the human woman.

Lin's hands clutched Chihiro's shoulders tighter as Un's narrowed eyes turned to the human woman. "You did this to my brother?" Un snarled out, her crimson eyes alive with an unbelievable anger. Chihiro shook her head slowly, despite her racing heart. Although she was scared, she couldn't let Un see that.

"No, he fell. I was performing CPR because he wasn't breathing and didn't have a pulse." Chihiro explained to the furious woman. Un stalked over to Chihiro and got in her face. Un's breath was hot on Chihiro's face. The taller woman reminded her of a dragon that was about to eat her prey.

"I don't believe you. Tell the truth before I rip it out of you. Like my brother, of all people, would be knocked out by a simple _fall._" Un told the woman before her. Even though Chihiro was slightly confused by Un's statement, she ignored it and said, "I told you what happened, Un."

"She's right…Shit, leave her alone, Sis." A managed to choke out. Although healed, his voice was still raspy. Un stared between A and Chihiro. "This isn't over, human, I'm watching you." The tall woman bit out, before moving people out of the way to get back to her brother.

Chihiro let out a sigh of relief. Lin's death-grip relaxed on Chihiro's shoulders before Lin pulled the woman into a humongous hug. "I missed you, you dope!" Lin cried happily. Chihiro laughed and hugged the slightly older woman back.

"Alright everybody, enough standing around! Get back to work!" Yubaba told the workers. All of the spirits filed back into the bathhouse while grumbling unhappily. Un helped a whining A through the entrance after most of the workers left.

Yubaba floated over to Chihiro. "You know Sen, A would have woken up within a few minutes without you doing whatever it is that you did. But, it seems as though you helped him recover. I suppose humans aren't as useless as they seem…Welcome back." Yubaba drawled, before floating to the bathhouse entrance herself. When the crone was about to enter her bathhouse, she turned around to the brunette women. "If you need a job, you know where to find me." With a crooked smirk, the old bathhouse woman disappeared into the immaculate building. Chihiro bowed to the old woman before turning to her spirit friend.

With a dumbfound expression, Chihiro asked "is that true…that he would have woken up?" Lin nodded briefly and winked. "Yeah, it takes a lot more than just a fall to kill a spirit. Most live for thousands of years. Even though A is a complete mess, he's still a higher level spirit. You'd have to a lot more than throw him off of a tall building to kill him. Sometimes I wish I could find a way." Lin laughed. Chihiro stared at her in shock. Spirits could live for thousands of years and it was hard to kill them? Chihiro would only live a minute portion of what her friends would live.

Lin knocked Chihiro out of her thoughts. "Have you seen Kamaji yet? You should ask him to tell you about Spirit History. He's really good at explaining things."

"I've seen him, I actually spent the night there since it was too late to find you…Uhm, Lin, you wouldn't know where to find Haku, would you? I wanted to find him and speak with him." Chihiro explained evenly. Lin rolled her eyes and chuckled. "All about Haku again," Lin laughed. Then, a look of realization crossed her pretty features. "Wait…Didn't you say he was the one that let A fall from the roof?"

Chihiro nodded sullenly. "Why didn't you tell Un? She would have left you alone if you told her!" Lin almost yelled. Chihiro shook her head. "What difference would it make? Plus, pinning the incident on someone, even if he did it, wouldn't fix anything." Lin shook her head as her lips pursed unhappily. "You still don't have a sense of survival, do you? You need to stop risking yourself for others." Lin stated.

"Maybe so. But anyways, where can I find Haku?" Chihiro asked again. She really needed to talk to him. Lin put her hand around Chihiro's shoulders and led her inside.

"Haku usually broods in his room when he's upset. And, by guessing, he may be. So, if you take the same elevators we took last time, take it up to the second highest floor. That's where all of security stays. His room is straight off of the elevator. You remember your way around, right?" Chihiro nodded vigorously. Lin sighed before enveloping Chihiro in another huge hug. "I gotta get back to work. Don't let 'Master I-have-something-up-my-butt' get to you. Anyways, come visit me when you're done. We'll have lunch together." Lin winked before running off.

Chihiro watched her friend before walking through the immaculate building. Many of the workers were already starting their daily duties. Despite how frumpy and out of place she looked, Chihiro attempted to walk confidently through the workers. She smiled and greeted those who didn't sneer at her. If she was going to be around, she should at least try to rebuild some of the relationships she once had.

When Chihiro made it to the second elevator, she hesitated. Her small hand rested on the large lever that she needed to pull in order to be sent up. But, Chihiro couldn't make herself pull the lever. What was she going to say to say to Haku? He must have known that the fall wouldn't have killed A. He wouldn't kill someone who he worked with…would he? No. No, he wouldn't.

Chihiro steeled her nerves and pulled the lever down forcefully. The woman released an anxious breath. As her heart beat thumped heavily in her throat, she tried to think about what she would say. Her mind had a different idea, though. She was too nervous to think straight.

Her stomach dropped as the elevator made a noise, signaling that she arrived to the floor that she was looking for. Chihiro braced herself and stepped out into the hallway cautiously. The hallway was just as immaculate as any other floor, but she noticed that the one she was on had a caged armory and many, many rooms. It seemed like somewhere the guards would live.

With hesitant steps, Chihiro arrived in front of the first door that was straight off of the elevator. It was Haku's room. She lifted her first to the humongous wooden door. Before she could even knock, she heard a deep voice say "Come in."

Chihiro swallowed the large lump in her throat as she opened the door slowly. When she entered, she could barely believe her eyes. The room, which seemed to be Haku's office, was so different than the rest of the bathhouse. It was simple and streamlined. The colors of the room included browns and blues, which reminded Chihiro of water. It seemed like a room that fit him.

"May I help you?" Haku asked Chihiro without looking up from his scroll. He was once again writing with his finger on another, even longer scroll.

Chihiro clenched her hands together in determination and approached his desk, which was situated in the center of the room. "I wanted to speak with you about what just happened, Haku." Chihiro told the man bravely.

Haku leaned back into his chair and looked at Chihiro. "There really is not anything to speak about. A was out of line, and had to be taught a lesson." Haku's voice was distant and dismissive, something that irked Chihiro slightly. However, she took a breath and tried again.

"Haku, I still want to talk to you about it. A could ha-" Haku's hand flew up, signaling her to stop speaking. Chihiro's mouth dropped open. First, he dismissed her, then he held a hand up to shush her? "Who are you?" Chihiro asked quietly, despite her anger rising within her.

Haku's steely eyes stared at Chihiro. "Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi." He breathed. Chihiro shook her head sadly. Her anger, which was burning brightly only a few moments before, nearly extinguished. "The boy I used to know would never hurt somebody like that. Not the same boy that saved me from drowning in his river."

It was at that point that Haku stood up abruptly. "Things happen, Chihiro. People change. You will need to get over it." He told her evenly.

Her anger returned as quickly as it had disappeared. Her voice raised in pitch. "Get over it?! Stop telling me to get over it! Actually, how can I even do that?! You, who saved me not once, but twice, are telling me that people change and become heartless?! I, for one, will not get over something like that!" Chihiro yelled. Tears once again filled her eyes.

It was Haku's turn to be angry. "You need to accept things that are done here, Chihiro. This includes me being different than whatever hero you thought I was. I am no hero. I never have been one! And, if I decide that MY workers need to be punished, then so shall it be! You are no longer in the human world, you are in a place where you should not even be. People who knowingly go against protocol are putting everyone in danger, and must be dealt with accordingly!" He bellowed. His eyes were starting to bleed white while his short hair was starting to lift. Around him, crackles of lightning flashed, showing his power and his anger. But, Chihiro wasn't scared. She was too angry to be afraid of the spirit in front of her.

"Then why am I still here? Why didn't you just send me back the moment you saw me? If you don't want me here, then just tell me! Take me back!" It was at that point that her voice lowered significantly. She shook her head sadly, and refused to meet his turbulent eyes. "Like you said, I guess the boy that saved me years ago no longer exists. I just thought that even just a little bit of him still existed. I was wrong." She told him bleakly.

"You just do not understand why he no longer exists." Haku's voice also lowered in loudness. His eyes were stormy, as if they were recounting painful memories. The woman before him slumped in defeat. "I know I don't understand. I know. But you should also know that I am the type of person that would at least try." Chihiro choked out. She remembered the last time she was there…when she was clutching his bloody body, desperately wishing that he would survive. But that was years ago, when both of them were different.

"I know you do." Haku spoke softly. His voice was barely audible. Chihiro shook her head and looked up to the man with pained honey eyes.

"I don't think you do, Kohaku." Her voice was barely over a whisper. She turned around slowly, and exited the office quietly just as the man sat back down in his chair.

She was greeted with many guards standing outside the door who were pretending they weren't eavesdropping. She nodded to them sullenly. Chihiro called for the elevator, and waited in silence. The spirits that were once in the hallway broke apart and went back to whatever they were doing.

"Whatcha up to?" A familiar voice said mischievously into Chihiro's ear. She jumped and yelped loudly. "A? Wait, how are you up already?" Chihiro asked incredulously. He was giving her his trademark grin.

"Well, thanks to whatever it is that you did, my dumb body didn't have to take as long to recover." He winked. "Glad it helped." Chihiro stated happily, but her current mood dampened her happiness slightly.

The elevator arrived just as A began to speak. When Chihiro entered the elevator, A attempted to follow her. "Sorry, A. I have some things I have to take care of. We'll meet up in a few hours, okay?" Chihiro told A with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. A nodded solemnly and stepped back from the elevator. When it closed, A turned back towards Haku's room.

The spirit walked straight into the room without even knocking. "Hi sourpants." A greeted as he threw himself into a chair opposite of Haku's desk.

Haku closed his eyes and pursed his lips. "I am really not in the mood, A." A's playful stare turned icy. "Kay, don't give a crap," A started, before repositioning his body on the chair. "I may understand why you did what you did, but Chihiro doesn't. I think you should stop dicking around and explain it to her instead of shutting her out like some stranger. She cares deeply for you."

"Do I need to throw you off the roof again?" Haku responded irritably. "Sure, it was actually fun. I wanna see how long it takes my dumbass to wake up this time." A stated in an aloof tone. Haku gave a feral growl in response. However, A continued as if he didn't hear the warning. "Seriously, Haku, stop the crap. Everyone here knows that you really aren't the asshole you're trying to show yourself off to be in front of Chihiro. Not once have you ever touched me, even when I've messed up 100 times worse in the past. You even told me that everyone makes mistakes. Although I personally do not give a crap that you threw me off the roof, I'm not quite fond of you parading yourself around to be someone you're not just to prove some illogical point that you've yet to grace us with." A's unwavering eyes stared at Haku, who attempted to remain impassive. After a few seconds, Haku's eyes drifted to the side and he said, "she doesn't belong here. It's too dangerous. I'm too dangerous."

A rolled his eyes dramatically and sat up in the seat he was sprawled over. "It's her decision to make, Haku, not yours. You're not her father." Haku's mouth fell open in order to retaliate, but A continued on. "You pretending to be an asshole in front of her is more dangerous to her than you showing that you're nothing more than a green marshmallow. So, whatever dumbass stunt you're trying to pull needs to stop right here and now." A pursed his pale lips together while he tapped a foot in irritation. The dragon continued to stare the komainu spirit down with fierce eyes.

"Look man, I may look stupid as Hell, but I pay attention. It's been part of my job description since I was created. You can't throw away an opportunity to see the person you've been yearning for just because you can't get that huge stick out of your ass. Do us all a favor and just be yourself, or you really are going to lose something you cherish." With that, A stood to his full height and went to the door. As he exited through the door, he turned back to Haku. A mischievous grin covered A's previously serious features. "And, you're not gonna let me be the only one who has tasted her lips, right?" Without warning, a large vase was shooting towards A's face. The man shut the door between himself and the dragon just as the vase hit the door where his face was. He erupted into laughter as he heard Haku cussing behind the closed door. Apparently the dragon already heard about the ritual that Chihiro performed on A.

A skipped to the elevator, where another spirit was waiting for it. The fox spirit turned a golden eye to the grinning second in command. "What did you do this time?" He asked while shaking his auburn head.

"Ah, made Master Haku _jealous._" A stated, while folding his hands happily behind his head. Another wave of curses was heard behind the door, before the door slammed open.

"Whoopsies, I made an oopsies!" A placed a hand over his mouth jokingly. He and the fox spirit entered the elevator just as Haku came out of his office fuming. "Get back here this instant!" Haku ordered loudly. A shrugged and waved. "Sorry, sir, I can't hear you! Gotta start my rounds!"

As the two males descended, the fox spirit sighed loudly. "You really can't mess with Master Haku like that." A looked at the fox with a confused expression, before busting out in laughter. Was a new recruit really telling him what to do? "I do what I want, Isao. Jump off of me." A told Isao, before strutting off of the elevator.

"You're an idiot, and, you're also on the wrong floor." Isao told A, who ignored him. "Whatever, I'll take the easy way down. Thanks anyways for your concern, _Mom._" A laughed, before hopping over the edge of the railing overseeing the baths. As he descended, many clients and workers peeked over the edge to watch him descend.

A landed gracefully on the main floor and continued walking as if he hadn't jumped from a really high floor. "Ladies." A winked as he pointed to a group of Yunna near the front of the bathhouse. They cooed in his direction while blushing heavily. He smirked and walked past their hungry eyes. A continued onto the bridge, but stopped momentarily. Smears of blood still remained on the bridge. Apparently the cleaning staff hadn't gotten around to cleaning his blood. A clicked his tongue and passed his hand over the stains. The dried blood lifted out of the grains of wood and disappeared.

"Well, I did my good deed for the day." A stated monotonously as he shoved his hands back into his pockets. He continued amble along silently. He wound through the spirit town slowly, making sure to pay attention to every detail that seemed out of place. When he passed the spirit restaurant owner that gave him hell the night before, A made sure to give the obese owner a huge grin that showed his fangs. While the majority of the spirits in the town did not mind humans, there were a select few that had to be watched.

A continued down the main walkway and noticed a few shop owners whispering together. A's senses peaked as he approached the owners. They stopped talking and turned to A slowly. "May I ask what's going on?" A's deep voice asked seriously.

One of the smaller owners piped up. "There was the human girl from yesterday running around not too long ago." He stated nervously. Immediately A's eyes widened. "Which way?" He asked quickly. She should not be out by herself, even if it was day time. The shop owners pointed towards the river. A took off immediately towards the river. That was the beginning of neutral territory. Any spirit could be lurking around there waiting for some unsuspecting person to wander by.

There she was, sitting at the immense river by herself. A let out an anxious breath of air. "What are you doing?" A asked as he went up behind the woman. She turned around to her friend. Chihiro's eyes were red with crying.

"He's right. I don't belong here. My parents are probably worried sick about me, and I've been so irresponsible by being here." Chihiro explained sadly. A sat down next to her. "You belong where you feel you belong." He told her.

"My heart and my brain say two different places. But it doesn't matter now, the portal's closed again and I can't go back." She said, before covering her face. A placed a clawed hand on Chihiro's sunken shoulder. "Maybe that's a sign that you do belong here." A offered. Chihiro smiled briefly.

"Where'd you learn how to give advice?" Chihiro asked. A laughed and turned his eyes to the large river. "Well, when you guard a temple for hundreds of years, you spend a lot of time hearing prayers and thinking of ways to respond." He told her.

Chihiro's eyes lighted up with interest. "Lin was telling me that spirits live for thousands of years…How old are you?" A shrugged and chuckled. "I'm a baby compared to spirits like Yubaba. I'm somewhere around 600 years old." Chihiro's mouth fell open. "…How old is Yubaba, then?"

A clicked his tongue. "Mmm, that old witch looks as old as she is. She's been hanging around for roughly 50 thousand years. Too damn long, if you ask me." A scoffed loudly. Chihiro laughed slightly and swatted his arm. "She's not that bad." A rolled his eyes before standing up. He held his hand out for her to take. She took it gratefully as he helped her up.

"We should head back because in any case, it seems like you're here for good…at least for right now. Haku's probably already tearing the place apart looking for you." A drawled, while going up the stairs leading to the town. "I doubt it." Chihiro told her friend as she fell in step. A laughed and put his hands behind his head. "You'd be surprised, little girl. He has terrible ways of showing he cares, but he does nonetheless. The guy you knew isn't gone, he's just buried under a bunch of crap." Chihiro nodded. She silently hoped her friend was right about Haku…Hopefully she would be able to find the same caring boy one day. In the meantime, she was locked into the spirit world and had to work with what she had.

.-x-.

**(A/N: Had a little trouble writing this chapter. I couldn't figure out how to write this chapter to save my life. So, I hope it's decent. :/)**

**Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, and followed. I'd like to thank happytimez4life, K.I.T.T RIDER, Tyty41, gmena1, Lobato, SAK00, Crazygeekweirdo, Lady Gondiel, Weirdnfreaky, Natnatgibbs, and Spirit09 for doing one of those things. Yay things! Review responses are below.**

**Weirdnfreaky: Are you this username and Jeanne? That's awesome! I'm sorry I didn't figure that out! Hopefully this chapter explained a little bit. :)**

**Natnatgibbs: Awh, he does seem really scary. I promise he isn't!**

**SAK00: Thank you for reading! I hope it's going okay for you! Please let me know if there's anything that irks you.**

**Crazygeekweirdo: Thank you! I hope you continue to like him. I absolutely adore A. I think he's a great comical relief. I hope the story goes well for you!**

**Spirit09: Hmmmm, a love triangle? Maybeee, maybe not?! We'll see. ;) I don't know, would you like to see one?**


	9. Flip-Flop

Chapter 9: Flip-Flop

"Where is she, Kamaji?!" Haku's loud voice erupted over the sounds of the boiler room. The tall dragon was pacing around the entire room before he waved his hands, making all of the furniture and bedding lift off of the ground. Haku scrunched down and looked underneath all of the floating articles. In seeing the woman who he was looking for not there, Haku growled and turned towards the spider spirit with an angered eye.

"She's not here, Haku. She's been gone since the early morning." Kamaji offered, before turning back to the herbs he was grinding. With another low growl, Haku let all of the floating items fall unceremoniously to the floor. In the midst of the noise, a distinct cracking sound came from the table that he just dropped.

Haku swiveled around and stared at what made the noise. On the concrete ground next to a soiled yukata, lay a cracked opal kanzashi. Its multi-colored depths twinkled at Haku in the flickering lights of the fire, almost as if mocking him for dropping it.

"You best mend that before Sen comes home!" Kamaji advised quickly, a look of concern making his wrinkles deeper than normal. "It's important to Sen." The old man added after he noticed the dragon not moving to fix what he broke.

With an incredulous look towards the boiler man, Haku swiped the cracked hairpiece from the ground quickly. "Why is a bauble so important to someone?" Haku mumbled to himself, before passing a glowing hand over the kanzashi.

A spark of lightning from the hair piece startled Haku. "Magic…?" He asked himself quietly. The spark did not hurt Haku, but only increased his curiosity about the object. He brought the gem closer to his face in order to examine it. While recently mended, the opal was alight in unnatural tones. It seemed to be made out of multi-colored water, rather than stone. It was a completely different gem than before.

"In the meantime, you should also fix Sen's yukata. She was devastated about it last night." Kamaji stated over his shoulder. Haku took one last look at the opal before setting it down gently on the table. He then lifted his hand, subsequently making the soiled garment raise off of the floor. With a wave of his other hand, the garment began to slowly spin and became less dirty with each rotation.

After a few more rotations, Haku stilled the yukata and collapsed his hands together in a folding motion. The yukata folded itself neatly before resting gently on the table next to the kanzashi. A piece of parchment materialized in Haku's hand and he rested his pointer finger on the milky paper. _'I'm sorry.'_ He wrote down quickly with his finger, before setting it down next to the mended items.

"When she comes home, please redirect her to me, Kamaji." Haku asked the boiler man before he disappeared in the crack of lightning.

.-x-.

"You're really not the most graceful of humans, are you?" A snickered. Chihiro was clutching the side of the wall as the two were descending the step stairs that led to Kamaji's boiler room.

"When I was on these ten years ago, I nearly fell down all of these stairs!" Chihiro groaned. She rubbed her forehead as the memory of her slamming face first into a wall came into her mind.

"You're such a wuss." Without any warning, A pulled Chihiro onto his shoulder and started descending the stairs two at a time.

"A! A! What are you doing?!" Chihiro yelled as she beat on his muscular back. A continued to howl in laughter as he ran down the stairs. Within a few seconds, A landed on the bottom platform and put Chihiro back on her feet.

"You're so funny when you're scared." A chuckled darkly. She glowered at him before giggling herself. "Well, let's just not make a habit of it. I don't need to be dying from a heart attack." Chihiro stated before pulling the boiler room door open.

"What's a heart attack? Is that some disease humans get? In any case, you should have more faith in me! I'm so insulted." A whimper escaped from A's lips as the two meandered into the hot boiler room.

"A heart attack is when a part of your heart can't get oxygen…and you'll get over it…Hello, Kamaji!" Chihiro greeted happily. Kamaji turned to the young woman and smiled. "Good to see he hasn't done you any harm." Kamaji chuckled before returning to his work. "Oh Sen, and Haku was here looking for you. He asked to speak with you whenever you returned here." Kamaji told Chihiro as she took her shoes off at the edge of the landing. She nodded, before she scrambled onto the landing just in time to see A holding up her opal kanzashi. "Hey, this is pretty." A commented, while examining it closely.

"My next door neighbor gave it to me for doing her chores." She told him lightly, before smiling at the gem. She cocked her head to the side as she looked at it.

"It looks different." Chihiro commented, while leaning in closer to examine it. She took it from A's hand and studied it gem looked alive. It looked more like a fluid, rather than a solid stone. Over the bite of food, Kamaji said, "Haku mended the gem. He cracked it while looking for you." Chihiro frowned slightly before a smile formed over her face.

"It was nice of him to mend it then…Did he also fix my yukata, Kamaji?" She asked the boiler man as she pulled her long hair back and secured it with her kanzashi. He nodded as he gulped down another bite of food.

"Oh, and he's sorry." A added as he put the paper really close to Chihiro's face. "….Thank you, A." Chihiro laughed, before reclining her head away from the paper being shoved in her face. "We should go see what grumpy pants wants to see you for." A told Chihiro, before grabbing her hand.

For the second time that day, A pulled Chihiro into what felt like suspended nothingness. Without warning, the two materialized in Haku's office. Chihiro stumbled slightly, but A kept a firm grasp on her. "We're here, your highness!" A called out to Haku, who was peering at them from his desk. Haku ignored A's comment and nodded towards his second in command. "Please give us some time, A." Haku asked, while training his sharp eyes on Chihiro. A tilted his head towards the woman beside him, who gave him a reassuring nod. "Kay." A stated, before mock-saluting and dematerializing.

It seemed as though the air was sucked out of the room as soon as A left. The two looked at each other without speaking. Chihiro was first to speak. "Thank you for repairing my yukata and also my kanzashi." Chihiro bowed slightly to the man in front of her. After their argument, she still did not know how to regard the man in front of her. She figured being as polite as she could would be best, especially since she could not return to her own dimension at the time.

"You are welcome. I am also sorry for cracking your kanzashi in the first place. It is the least I could do." He responded in an equal polite manner. Chihiro nodded slightly, before silence filled the room again. After a few pregnant moments of silence, Haku spoke. "Where were you? I could not find you."

Chihiro bit her lip. "I…I was attempting to cross back to my world." Chihiro stated truthfully. Haku regarded her quietly from his desk. He shuffled a few papers around before his gave returned to her. "Why?" He asked her simply.

"I feel like I am a burden that you don't want to bear." The words slipped from her mouth. Chihiro's eyebrows furrowed in pain as she thought about what she said. Despite being true, it still hurt to say it out loud to the man before her.

"You are not a burden." Haku expressed. He stood from his desk and walked around until he stood in front of her. Haku placed a large hand on Chihiro's shoulder. With his other hand, he lifted her chin so that he could look into her eyes. "I know that I have not been the most amiable of people, but you will never be a burden to me, no matter how I may act. I am truly sorry for how I have treated you, Chihiro." Haku uttered. His breath tickled her cheeks. A small blush stained Chihiro's cheeks as she backed away from him.

"I'm sorry, Haku, I just don't know which side of you to believe right now. I have to go. Thank you again for mending my things." She told him, before exiting his office. As she approached the elevator and pressed the button, she thought of the ever-changing attitudes that Haku exhibited. It was only a few hours ago that he was standoffish and acting like he was royalty…and it was only a small amount of time before that that he threw his second in command off of the roof. And now he was trying to act like his old self?

Chihiro shook her head as she entered the elevator. She pulled the lever and dropped her head in defeat. Haku was so confusing! She shook her head again to clear her mind. There were so many more important things she could be doing. For one, finding a job that would keep her busy while she was in the spirit world.

As soon as she exited the elevator, Chihiro immediately went to find Lin. Her sister-like friend would definitely know what to do! A small smile crept onto her face as she wandered around the baths looking for her friend.

"What are you doing here, human?" A cold voice stated from behind Chihiro. Chihiro stopped and closed her eyes as a sudden pain in her temple erupted. The small woman turned towards the source of the voice.

"I'm looking for my friend, Un. Is that so bad?" Chihiro asked. She was staring at the tall, amazon-like woman who had her hands planted on her hips. Her fiery, crimson eyes were focused on Chihiro.

"You're stinking up the place, get out before the guests get sick of your smell." Un sneered, while advancing on the human woman before her. When Chihiro refused to leave the baths area, Un snatched Chihiro's arm.

"AGH!" Un bit out as she retracted her hand from Chihiro. Un was grasping the hand that she used to snatch Chihiro only a few seconds before. The skin on Un's palm was completely melted off. "What the hell?" Un bit out as the skin on her hand began to regenerate.

"Are you okay?" Chihiro asked the woman in front of her while a look of confusion was plastered on her face. She attempted to reach for the woman's injured hand, but Un shrugged away from her.

"Just don't irritate the guests, wench." Un stated dismissively. Chihiro watched after the woman with the same look of confusion on her face.

"What was that all about?" Lin said as she stopped at Chihiro's side. Lin's eyes were narrowed at the retreating figure of Un's body.

"Just a small misunderstanding….But she touched me and her hand burned. It was so weird." Chihiro told her friend as they moved through the baths.

"Good, she needs to be burnt every once in a while—" Lin started, before being given a narrow look from her friend. She continued and said, "Well, is there anything different that happened to you?" Lin questioned. She stopped in front of one of the baths and grabbed her cleaning supplies. Chihiro grabbed a mop and looked upwards, trying to remember.

"Well, I'm wearing the kanzashi my neighbor gave me, but it didn't do that when anyone else touched me. It didn't even do it when a shop owner in the town was hurting me…" Chihiro thought out loud as she helped mop the floor of the bath area.

"Maybe she's allergic to you. I think she's allergic to anything that's kind or let alone anything remotely tolerable." Lin snickered as she pulled the lever down to pour water into the huge bath. Chihiro sighed slightly. That's when it hit her.

"Haku just fixed my kanzashi today. Do you think that has anything to do with it?" Chihiro asked excitedly. Lin placed a hand on her hip and cocked an eyebrow.

"I suppose so. Haku's one of the most powerful spirits in this sector. Anything he infuses with magic is probably made strong. But, I would think that his magic would only amplify what was already there." Chihiro leaned on her mop as she thought about Lin's comment.

"_Chihiro-chan, I know the Obon festival at the park is tomorrow, and I want to give you something in return for doing such a great job in this old dump. But first, I have to find the darn thing!" Ms. Goto stated happily, while continuing to rummage through her large jewelry case._

_ A blush crept onto Chihiro's face. "Ms. Goto, I really don't think I deserve something in—" Chihiro begged. Ms. Goto held her leathery hand up to Chihiro to silence her before turning to the young woman wither wise eyes sparkling. "I found it!" She breathed happily._

_ In her hand was a ball-style Kanzashi. It was fashioned out of dark wood. The decoration was a small ball of Opal, which glittered in the light. It seemed as if it was giving off its own light rather than reflecting off the light of the room. Despite its simplicity, it was breathtaking._

_ "I don't deserve such a beautiful token, Ms. Goto," Chihiro stated bashfully. Ms. Goto smiled. "Nonsense, child! If there is anyone who deserves this, it is you.I never had any girls—I was blessed with 5 rambunctious boys! And besides, the spirits are roaming around during this time. This will keep you safe from the evil ones, love! My mother said that is was fashioned many, many years ago when the spirits still inhabited the earth with humans. The kanzashi will keep you safe." Ms. Goto gushed as she placed it in Chihiro's hand, and wrapped her worn hands around the young woman's. _

_ "I couldn't thank you enough…I will definitely wear it tomorrow. Thank you, Ms. Goto!" Chihiro thanked the elderly woman profusely before enveloping her in a hug._

"No way…" Chihiro breathed. A look of disbelief was plastered on Chihiro's face. Lin looked at her friend and jumped off of the bath tub. "What's up?" Lin asked her friend.

"My neighbor Ms. Goto said that the kanzashi she gave me would protect me from evil spirits…It didn't even remotely hurt the shop owner, but it burned all of the skin off of Un's hand...Even without the added magic, the kanzashi still would have hurt the shop owner if he was evil. Does that mean…?" Chihiro whispered to her friend.

Lin's face drained of color as she grabbed Chihiro's hand. "We need to go find Haku. Now."

.-x-.

(A/N: I am so sorry for the long wait! I tried to make this one longer to make up for the long wait. I will start on the next chapter tonight, but I may not have it up until tomorrow. Special shout-out to Weirdnfreaky for getting on to me for not updating.)

Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, and followed. I'd like to thank Rebellion-10, natnatgibbs, K.I.T.T. RIDER, Weirdnfreaky, 35, Spirit09, Guest, Ms. Blackthorne, Rafel666, Animefreak1145, cresentmoon23, Retroglamor, Stupid Crazy, and all of the readers who did one or more of those things! Yay things!

Rebellion-10: Thank you! I hope I keep delivering!

Natnatgibbs: I'm glad he doesn't seem so scary! I think he's an interesting guy. :S

K.I.T.T Rider: You made me laugh so hard! WHY U DO DIS, HAKU? *slam* Glad you like A. I think

he's my fave. :D

Weirdnfreaky: Yes! They are siblings. Just like the Komainu that guard shrines and stuff! It's said

that they are male and female. I agree that A giving responses is weird. I think he

just would listen in. He may be bipolar. I know something's wrong with that guy,

haha!

35: Thank you! I'm glad you like it!

Spirit09: Wellllll, we may be seeing something develop! I agree that it would be interesting. I

think I can and will make that happen. I believe that these two guys will provide

different aspects that Chihiro will be attracted to.

Guest: Sorry for the long wait! I'm so glad you like it!

Weirdnfreaky: Haha, sorry for being a terrible updater. Ahhhhh Thanks for keeping on me. Will

have next chapter up tomorrow.


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